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BY   RPPLIED   IMRGEp     INC. 


A 


SUMMARY 


f-^ 


OF     TK£ 


PRINCIPAL     EVIDENCES 


rOR     THE 


mUTH,  AND  DiyiNE  ORIGIN, 


OF     THE 


CHRISTIAN     REVELATION. 


--]■; 


"i:l 


<\ 


*      '-I 

*.    J.' 


DESIGNED    CHIEFLT 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  YOUNG  PERSONS ; 
More  parUcularly  of  thofe  who  have  lately  been  confirmed 
THE     DIOCESE     OF     LONDON. 


in 


Bt  BEIX.BY,  Lord  Bishop  of  LONDON. 


The  Third  Edition, 


"  I 


'  i  ■  '*■. 


N  E  W  .  Y  O  R  K : 

PRINTED  AND   SOLD  BY    ISAAC    COLLIN-S 
NO.   189,    PEARL-STREET. 

I80I. 


id 


PRE  FA  C  E, 


•J"*^^  <^* 


*S 


4* -I 


y^Oi?  Readers  of  a  mature  age  and  judgment,  there  ere  fo 
many  excellent    Treatifes  en  the  Evidences  of  the  Chrtfllaa 
Religion  already  publi/bed,  that  it  is  perfcSly  ncedlefs  to  add^ 
to  their  number  ;  hut  it  appeared  to  me,  that  there  <was  Jlilt 
^wanting  fomething  in  a  Jborter,  a  cheaper,  a  mere  methodical 
and  familiar  firm,  for  thofe  who  have  jvfi  received  Confirm' 
ation.    This  feems  to  be  the  proper ejl  period  for  somnmrAcativg 
to  young  people  the  chief  grounds  of  their  faith,  and  layh'g 
the  foundations  of  a  frm  belief  in  the  Chrijllan  ReveLition  ; 
leaving  it  to  tbemfehes  to  add  to  thefe  primtiry  ev'ubnces  ^which 
reafon  furmjhes  in  favour  of  Chrtfiianity,  thofe  further  proofs 
cf  its  truth,  'which  I  trujl  they  -oiill  hereafter  derive  from 
fldl  higher  and  better  fources  ;  from  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  tht  Sacred  IVritings  ;  from  the  illuminating  and  farMi^ 
fying  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  their  undtrflandingt 
and  their  hearts  ;    and  from  the   experimental  conviaion, 
whUh  I  hope  they  'will  hereafter  have,  cf  the  divine  ejfficacy 
of  the  gofpel  in  purifying  their  affeSions,  in  remedying  the 
diforders  of  their  corrupt  nature,  and  in  communicating  to 
them  thofe  twojnvaluable  ble^ngs.  Peace  of  Confcience,  and- 
HoUnefs  of  Life* 

A    2 


IV 


PREFACE. 


In  a  concern  of  fuch  itifinlte  imporiancg,  ao  fpccies  of  evi- 
Jettce  ouglt  to  he  difcoumgeify  depreciated^  or  withheld.  And 
at  this  time  more  particularly^  when  new  Corn  pen  cTtums  of  lu'- 
Jidelityy  and  neiv  Libels  on  Chrt/liaHity  are  difperfed  contmu* 
ally,  nvith  indtfat'tgahle  tndujlry,  through  every  part  of  the 
li/igdom,  and  every  elafs  of  the  community y*  it  feems  highly 
expedient  to  meet  thefe  hojlile  attempts  with  publications  of  an 
vpprfiie  tendency,  and  to  fortify  the  miods  of  thofe  who  are 
jujl  entering  into  the  world,  by  plain  and  concife  flatements  of 
the  principal  argumcnls  in  favour^  of  Chrijlianify,  againfl  the 
efforts  that  will  he  made  to  mijlcad  their  judgments,  corrupt 
thir  principles,  andjhake  their  belief  in  the  Gofpcl  of  ChrijU 


With  a  view  therefore  of  fulfilling  this  duty  towards  the 
you:h  more  immediately  under  my  care,  I  have  drawn  up  tljt 
fallowing  little  Tra^l,  for  the  ufe  of  thofe  principally  who 
have  been  lately  confirmed  in  the  Diocefe  of  London,     My 
chitf  objcdi  has  been  to  collet  together  into  one  view,  and  to 
comprefs  together  in  a  narrow  compafs,  all  the    mofl  forcible 
arguments  for  the  truth  of  our  religion,  which  are  to  be  found 
in  our  befl  writers,  with  the  addition  of  fuch  obfervations  of 
VI y  own  as  occurred  to  me  in  the  profecution  of  the  IVorh, 
All  thefe  I  have  clajftd  under  a  few  fhort,  clear,  diflinci 
Propcfitions  ;   an  arrangement  which  I  have  always  found 
mofl  convenient  for  the  inflruBion  of  youth,  and  befl  calculated 
to  cifffl  their  memories,  to  mahe  flrong  and  durable  imprejfons 
on  their  underflandings,  and  to  render  the  important  Iruths  of 
religion   mofl  eafy  to  be  comprehended  and  retained  in  their 
minds.    After  this,  I  would  recommend  it  to  my  young  Read- 
ers, as  they  advance  in  life,  to  have  recourfe  to  one  or  more 
of  the  well-known    Treatifes  of  Grotius,  Addifon,  Clarke, 
Leflie,  Lardner,  Beattie,  and  Paley,  on  the  Evidences  of 

*  See  the  Report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Houfe  of  Lords,  rcf- 
pccSing  Trcafonable  Societies,  &c. 


^  PREFACE.  V 

Chnftianity  ;  to  fome  of  whom  I  am  myfelf  much  indelled, 
and  to  whofe  maflerly  writings  on  thatfubjeB,  this  little  Work 
^at  meant  only  as  a  kind  of  elementary  introdudion» 

I  tnufl  however  warn  my  young  difciples,  that  when  they 
have,  by  the  courfe  of  reading  here  fuggefled,   arrived  at  a 
full  convi3ion  of  the  divine  Origin  of  the  Chriflian  Religion, 
they  mufl  not  imagine  that  their  tajk  it  Jinifhed,  and  that  no- 
thing more  is  required  at  their  hands.     The  mofl  important 
part  of  their  bufmefs  fill  remains  to  be  accomplifhed.      After 
being  fatisfied  that  the  Chriflian  Religion  comes  from   God, 
their  next  flep   is  to  enquire  carefully  what  that  religion  is, 
nvhat  the  dodrines  are  which  it  requires  to  be  believed,  and 
what  the  duties  which  it  requires  to  be  pcrfbrfned.     For  this 
•purpofe  it  may  be  ufeful  for  them  to  begin  with   Gajrell's 
Chriflian  Inflitutes,  and  ArchhiJJjop  Seeker^ s  Lectures  on  the 
Church  Catechifm,     In  thejirfl  they  will  find  the  DcBrinet 
and  Duties  of  the  Chri/lian  Religion  ranged  under  their  pro- 
per heads  in  the  very  words  of  Scripture,   and  in  the  other 
they  will  fee  mofl  of  them  clearly  and  concifely  explained  by  a 
mofl  able,  pious,  and  judicious  divine.     After  this  they  may 
proceed  tofludy  the  Scriptures  themf elves,  and  more  particular- 
ly the  New  Teflament,  with  the  ajjiflance  of  Dr,  Doddridge's 
Family  Expofttor,  to   which   they  fhould  add  feme  of  the 
Sermons  of  our  befl  divines,  Bifhop  Taylor,  Barrow,  Sher- 
lock ^  .  and  Seder, . 


When  they  have  thus  learnt  what  Chriflianity  is,  and  what 
it  demands  from  them,  they  will  feel  it  to  be  their  indifpenfa- 
ble  duty  (as  it  is  unqueflionably  their  truefl  interefl)  to  believe 
implicitly  all  the  doElrines,  and  obey  with  cheerfukefs  all  the 
commands  of  their  Maker  and  Redeemer  ;  to  facrifice  to  them, 
and.  to  their  own  future  eternal  welfare,  all  thdr  corrupt  paf- 
ftom  and  irregular  defires,  to  preferve  themfclvis  unfpoited 

A   3 


VI 


PREFACE, 


from  the  world,  and  to  implore  tlje  ajt/lanee  of  Divine  Gract, 
to-operating  ivith  their  own  mojl  earneji  endeavours,  to  renr 
der  their  belief  in  the  Go/pel  effeRual  to  the  fanaification  cf 
their  hearts,  the  reflation  of  their  lives,  and  the  falvation 
of  their  fouls • 

I  have  only  io  add,  that  although  this  little  Treatife  is 
d^fgned  principally  for  the  injru&ion  of  Youth,  yet  confider- 
edas  a  kind  of  recapitulation  of  the  Evidences  of  Chri/lianl- 
ty,  it  may  be  found  of  fome  ufe  to  perfons  of  a  more  mature 
age,  by  refrefhing  their  memories,  and  bringing  back  to  their 
recolleaion  thofe  proofs  of  their  religion  which  they  have  for^ 
merly  read  in  larger  and  more  elaborate  works,  and  which 
ihey  zvill  here  fee  brought  together  irtto  one  point  of  view. 


;?<£ 


•  i-i'it'^  ' 


<#»  (^  t^  t#»  e^  (^  (^  (^  V>  <^  «^ '>^  «^  (^  <^  c^t^  «^ '-#) '^  t^y-^>c^K^ '..^  v^»t#» 


SUMMARY 


OF     TH  E 


PRINCIPAL     EVIDENCES 


C0&    TUE 


TRUTH,  AND  DIVINE  ORIGIN, 


O  r    THE 


CHRISTIAN     REVELATION, 


X  HE  method  I  intend  to  purfue  in  this  Trea- 
tife, is  to  prefent  to  my  young  Readers  the  fol- 
lowing feries  of  propofitions,  and  then  to  proTC 
diftindlly  the  truth  of  each* 

I.  From  confidering  the  ftate  of  the  heathen 
world,  before  the  appearance  of  our  Lord  upon 
earth,  it  is  evident  that  there  was  an  abfolutc  ne- 
ceffity  for  a  revelation  of  God's  will,  and,  of 
courfe,  a  great  probability  beforehand  that  fuch  a 
revelation  would  be  granted. 

II.  At  the  very  time  when  there  was  a  general 
cxpedlation  in  the  world  of  fome  extraordinary 
perfonage  making  his  appearance  in  it,  a  perfon 
called  Jefus  Chrift  did  actually  appear  upon  earth, 
afTerting  that  he  was  the  fon  of  God,  and  that  he 
was  fent  from  heaven  to  teach  mankind  Xfue  re- 
ligion    and  he  did  accordingly  found^a  religion, 


$  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

which  from  him  was  called  the  Chriftian  Religion, 
and  which  has  been  profefled  by  great  numbers  of 
people  from  that  time  to  the  prefent. 

III.  The  books  of  the  New  Teftament  were 
written  by  thofe  perfons  to  whom  they  are  af- 
cribed,  and  contain  a  faithful  hiflory  of  Chrift  and 
his  religion :  and  the  account  there  given  of  both, 
may  be  fecurely  relied  upon  as  ftriaiy  true. 

IV.  The  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Teflament 
(which  are  connedled  with  thofe  of  the  New), 
are  the  genuine  writings  of  thofe  whofe  names 
they  bear,  and  give  a  true  account  of  the  Mofaic 
difpcnfation,  of  the  hiftorical  fa<fbs,  the  divine 
commands,  the  moral  precepts,  and  the  prophecies 
which  they  contain. 

V.  The  charader  of  Chrift,  as  reprefented  in 
the  gofpels,    affords  very  ftrong   ground   for  be- 
lieving that  he  was  a  divine  perfon. 

VI.  The  fublimity  of  his  do<flrihes  and  the  pu- 
rity of  his  moral  precepts  confirm  this  belief. 

VII.  The  rapid  and  fuccefsful  propagation  of 
the  gofpel  by  the  firft  teachers  of  it,  through  a 
large  part  of  the  world,  is  a  proof  that  they  were 
favoured  with  divine  afiiftance  and  fapport. 

VUI.  A  comparifon  betwixt  Chrift  and  Maho- 
met and  their  refpeaii^e  religions,  leads  us  to  con- 
clude, that  as  the  religion  of  the  latter  was  confei- 
fedly  the  invention  of  man,  that  of  the  former  was 
derived  from  God. 

IX.  The  prediiflions  delivered  by  the  ancient 
prophets,  and  fulfilled  in  our  Saviour,  fhow  that 
he  was  the  Meffiah  expc^cd  by  the  Jews,  and 
that  he  came  into  the  world  by  divine  appoint- 
ment, to  be  the  great  deliverer  and  redeemer  of 
mankind. 


of  the  Chrijiian  Revelation.  ^ 

X.  The  prophecies  delivered  by  our  Saviour 
himfelf,  prove  that  he  was  endued  with  the  fore- 
knowledge of  future  events,  which  belongs  only  to 
God  and  to  thofe  infpired  by  him. 

XI.  The  miracles  performed  by  our  Lord,  de« 
monrtrate  him  to  have  pofTefled  divine  power. 

XII.  The  refurreftion  of  our  Lord  from  the 
dead,  is  a  fadl  fully  proved  by  the  ;;leareft  evi- 
dence, and  is  the  fcal  and  confirmation  of  his  di- 
;vinity  and  of  the  truth  of  his  religion. 

^  Thefe  are  the  feveral  points  I  fhall  undertake 
to  prove  in  the  following  pages  :  and  if  thefe  are 
clearly  made  out,  there  can  be  nothing  more 
wanting  to  fatisfy  every  reafonable  man,  that  the 

^Chrlrtian  Religion  is  a  true  revelation  from  God. 


PROPOSITION    L 


F 


ROM  CONSIDERING  THE  STATtOf  THE 
HEATHEN  WORLD,  BEFORE  T!fK  AI*f£Aa« 
ANCE  OF  OUR  LORD  UPON  hAKTH,  IT  IS 
EVIDENT  THAT  THERE  WAS  .\  N  .ABSO- 
LUTE NECESSITY  FOR  A  DIVIKE  RE- 
VELATION OF  cod's  WILL,  AND,  OF 
COURSE,  A  GREAT  PROBABILITY  BE- 
FOREHAND, THAT  SUCH  A  Rf.VElATlON 
WOULD    BE    GRANTED. 

THEY  who  are  acquainted  with  ancient  liifto* 
ry,  know  perfecSlly  well  that  there  i^  no  one  faft 
more  certain  and  more  notorious  than  tli*  That 
for  many  ages  before  our  Saviour  appeared  upon 
ea'rth,  and  at  the  time  he  adlually  did  appetf,  the 
whole  heathen  world,  even  the  p<^tcft  nnd  moft 


0 


I 


f 


fa  On  the  Truth  and  Divbi:  Origin 

civilized,  and  moft  learned  nations,  were,  with  a 
very  few  exceptions,  funk  in  the  moft  deplorable 
ignorance  of  every  thing  relating  to  God  and  to 
religion ;   in  the  groffeft  fuperftition  and  idolatry, 
and   in   the  moft  abominable  corruption  and  de- 
pravity of  manners.     They  neither  underftood  the 
true  nature  of  God,   nor  the  attributes  and  per- 
feftioas  which  belong  to  him,   nor   the   worfliip 
that  was  acceptable  to  him,  nor  the  moral  duties 
which  he   required  from  his  creatures  5    nor  had 
they  any  clear  notions  or   firm  belief  of  the  im- 
mortality of  the  foul,   and  a  ftate  of  rewards   and 
punifhments   in  another  life.      They  believed  the 
world  to  be  under  the  direaion  of  a  vaft  multi- 
tude of  gods  and  goddefTes,  to  whom  they  afcribed 
the  worft  paffions  and  the  worft  vices  that  ever 
difgraced  human  nature.      They  worfhipped  alfo 
dead  men  and  women,  birds  and   bcafts,  infers 
and  reptiles,   (efpecially  that  moft  odious  and  dill 
gufting  reptile  the  ferpent)  together  with  an  ihfi- 
nite   number    of   idols,    the    work   of  their    own 
hands,  from  various  materials,  gold,  ftlver,  wood, 
and  ftone.      With  refpeifl:  to  their  own  conduiTt' 
they  were  almoft  univerfally  addicted  to  the  moft' 
fhocking    and    abominable    vices;    even    many   of 
their  folemn  religious  ceremonies  and  a^s  of  de- 
votion  were  fcenes  of  the  grolTeft  fenfuality  and 
licentioufnefs.       Others    of   them    were    attended 
with  the  moft  favage  and  cruel  fuperftitions,  and 
fometimes  even  with  human  facrifices. 

The  dcfcription  given  of  the  ancient  Pagans  by 
St.  Paul,  in  the  firft  chapter  of  his  epiftle  to  the 
Romans,  is  ftriaiy  and  literally  true.—"  They 
were  filled  with  all  unrighteoufnefs,  fornication, 
wickednefs,   covetoufnefs,    uncleannefs,  maliciouf- 


cf  the  ChriJ^ian  Revelation, 


It 


Tiefs;  full  of  envy,  murder,  debate,  deceit,  maligni- 
ty ;  whifperers,  backbiters,  liters  of  God,  defpitc- 
ful,  proud,  boa^lers,  inventors  of  evil  things,  difo- 
bedient  to  parents,  without  underftanding,  cove- 
nant breakers,  without  natural  aftedion,  implaca- 
We,  unmerciful." 

Thefe  are  not  the  mere  general  declamations  gf 
a  pious  man  againft  the  wickednefs  of  the  times  5 
they  are  faithful  and  exa^t  pi£hircs  of  the  manners 
of  the  age,  and  they  are  fully  and  amply  confirmed 
by  contemporary  heathen  writers.  They  arc  appUed 
alfo  to  a  people,  highly  civilized,  ingenious,  learn* 
ed,  and  celebrated  for  their  proficiency  in  all  liberal 
tr)ts  ami  fciences.  What,  then,  muft  have  been  the 
depravity  of  the  moft  barbarous  nations,  when  fuch 
were  the  morals  of  the  moft  polite  and  virtuous  ? 

There  were,  it  is  true)  amon^g  all  the  ancient  na- 
tions, and  efpecially  among  the  Greeks  and   Ro- 
mans, fome  wife  and  comparatively  good  men,  cal- 
led pbilofophcrs,  who  had  jufter  notions  of  mora- 
lity  and  religion  than  the  reft  of  the  world,  and 
preferved  themfelves  to  a  certain  degree  unpolluted 
by  the  general  corruption  of  the  times.    But  thefe 
were  few  in  proportion  to  the  great  bulk  of  man- 
kind, and  were  utterly  unable  to  produce  any  con- 
siderable change  in  the  prevailing   principles  and 
manners  of  their  countrymen.   They  themfelves  had 
but  very  imperfect  and  erroneous  notions  refpCiSling 
the  nature  and  attributes  of  God,  the  worfliip  he 
required,  the  duties  and  obligations  of  morality,  the 
method  of  God's  governing  the  world,  his  defign 
in  creating  mankind,  the  original  dignity  of  human 
nature,  the  ftate  of  corruption  and  depravity  into 
which  it  afterwards  ftll ;  the  pai'ticular  mode  of  di- 
vine interpofitlon  necefiary  for  the  recovery  of  the 


TZ  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

human  race  ;  the  means  of  regaining  the  favour  of 
their  offended  Maker,  and  the  glorious  end  to  which 
God  intended  finally  to  condu6l  them.  Even  with 
refpecfb  to  thofe  great  and  important  doiftrines  above- 
mentioned,  the  immortality  of  the  foul,  the  reality 
of  a  future  ftate,  and  the  diftribution  of  rewards 
and  pftnifhments  hereafter,  they  were  full  of  doubt, 
uncertainty,  and  hefitation  ;  and  rather  ardently 
vrifhcd  and  hoped  for,  than  confidently  expe<n:cd 
and  believed  them.  But  even  what  they  did  know 
with  any  degree  of  clearnefs  and  certainty,  they 
cither  would  not  condefcend,  or  wanted  the  abili- 
ty, to  render  plain  and  intelligible  to  the  lower  or- 
ders o£  the  people.  They  were  deftitute  alfo  of 
proper  authority  to  enforce  the  virtues  they  recom- 
mended ;  they  had  no  motives  to  propofe  powerful 
enough  to  overrule  ftrong  temptations  and  corrupt 
inclinations  :  their  own  example,  inftead  of  recom- 
mending their  precepts,  tended  to  countera£l  them; 
for  it  was  generally  (even  in  the  very  beft  of  them) 
in  dire£l  oppofition  to  their  doctrines  ;  and  the  de- 
teftable  vices  to  which  many  of  them  were  addict- 
ed, entirely  deflroyed  the  efficacy  of  what  they 
taught. 

Above  all,  they  were  deftitute  of  thofe  awful 
fan£fcions  of  religion,  which  are  the  moft  eiFe6lual 
reftraints  on  the  paflions  and  vices  of  mankind,  and 
the  moft  powerful  incentives  to  virtue,  the  rewards 
and  puniftiments  of  a  future  ftate,  which  form  fo 
clTential  and  important  a  part  of  the  Chriftian  dif- 
penfation. 

There  was,  therefore,  a  plain  and  abfolute  ne- 
cefllty  for  a  divine  revelation,  to  refcue  mankind 
from  that  gulph  of  ignorance,  fuperftition,  idolatry, 
wickednefs,  and  mifery,  in  which  they  were  almoft 


of  the  Chrijian  Revet ation»    .  13 

univcrfally  funk  ;  to  teach  them  in  what  manner, 
and  with  what  kind  of  external  fervice,  God  might 
moft  acceptably  be  worftiipped,  and  what  expiation 
he  would  accept  for  fin  ;  to  give  them  a  full  aifur- 
ance  of  a  future  ftate  and  a  future  judgment ;  to 
make  the  whole  dodrine  of  religion  clear  and  obvi- 
ous to  all  capacities;  to  add  weight  and  authority 
to  the  plaineft  precepts,  and  to  furnifli  men  with 
extraordinary  and  fupernatural  afllftance,  to  enable 
them  to  overcome  the  corruptions  of  their  nature. 
And  fince  it  was  alfo  plainly  worthy  of  God,  and 
confonant  to  all  our  ideas  of  his  goodnefs,  mercy, 
and  compaflion  to  the  work  of  his  own  hands,  that 
he  ftiould  thus  enlighten,  and  aftift  and  direct  the 
creatures  he  had  made,  there  was  evidently  much 
ground  to  expedl:  that  fuch  information  and  affiftance 
would  be  granted  ;  and  the  wifeft  of  the  ancient 
heathens  themfclves  thought  it  moft  natural  and 
agreeable  to  right  reafon  to  hope  for  fomething  of 
this  nature. 

You  may  give  over,  fays  Socrates,  all  hopes  of 
amending  men*s  manners  for  the  future,  unlefs  God 
be  plcafed  to  fend  you  fome  other  perfon  to  inftruft 
you;*  and  Plato  declares,  that  whatever  is  right, 
and  as  it  fhould  be  in  the  prefent  evil  ftate  of  the 
world,  can  be  fo  only  by  the  particular  inter pofttion 
of  God,\  Cicero  has  made  fimilar  declarations;  and 
Porphyry,  who  was  a  moft  inveterate  enemy  to  the 
Chriftian  religion,  yet  confelTes,  that  there  was 
wanting  fome  univerfal  viethod  of  delivering  men^s 
foulsy  ivhich  no  feEl  of  philofophy  had  ever  yet  found 
cut4 


*  Plato  in  Apolog.  Socratis.  f  Piato  de  Rep. 

i  Auoruftin.  de  Civitatc  Dd,  1.  lo.  c.  32. 


B 


14  On  the  ^vuth  and  Divine  Origin 

Thefe  confeflions  of  the  great  fages  of  antiqui- 
ty, infinitely  outweigh  the  afTertions  of  our  modern 
infidels,   "  that  human  reafon  is  fully  fufiicient  to 
teach  man  his  duty,  and  enable  him  to  perform  it; 
;ind  that,  therefore,  a  divine  revelation  was  perfectly 
needlefs."  It  is  true,  that,  in  the  prefent  times,  a 
Deifl  may  have  tolerably  juft  notions  of  the  nature 
and  attributes  of  the  Supreme  Being,  of  the  wor- 
fliip  due  to  him,   of  the  ground  and  extent  of  mo- 
ral obligation,  and  even  of  a  future  ftate  of  retribu- 
tion. But  from  whence  does  he  derive  thefe  notions  ? 
Not  from  the  dilates  of  his  own  unafTifted  reafon, 
but  (as  the  philofophifl  Rouileau  himfelf  confefTes*) 
from  thofe  very  fcriptures  which  he  defpifes  and  re- 
viles, from  the  early  imprellions  of  education,  from 
living  and  converfing  in  a  Chriflian  country,  where 
thofe  do<Slrines  are  publicly  taught,   and  where,  in 
fpite  of  himfelf,  he  imbibes  fome  portion  of  that  re- 
ligious knowledge  which  the   facred  vvritings  have , 
every  where  difFufed  and  communicated  to  the  ene- 
inies  as  well  as  the  friends  of  the  gofpel.     But  they 
v.'ho  are  deftitute  of  thefe  advantages,  they  who  had 
nothing  but  i^afon  to  dire<n:  them,  and  therefore 
knew  what  reafon  is  capable  of  doing,  when  left  to 
itfelf,   much  better  than  any  modern  infidel  (who 
never  was,  and  ne\'er  can   be,  precifely  in  the  fame 
predicament-,)  thefe   men  uniformly  declare,  that 
the  mere  light  of  nature  was  not  competent  to  con- 
duct: them  into  the  road  of  hnppinefs  and  virtue  -, 
and  that  the  only  fure  and  certain  guide  to  carry  men 
well  through  this  life  ivas  a  divine  difcovery  of  the 
truth,\     Thefe  confiderations  may  ferve  to   fliew, 
that,   inflead  of  entertaining  any  unreafonable  pre- 


of  the  Chrijiian  Revefation, 


IC 


*  Vcl  IX.  p.  72,  i:nT?.  1-64. 


f  Plato  111  Ph. c done. 


judices  beforehand  againfl:  the  pofllbility  or  proba- 
bility of  any  divine  revelation  whatever,  we  ought, 
on  the  contrary,  to  be  prevloufly  prepofTeiTed  in  fa- 
vour of  it,  and  to  be  prepared  and  open  to  receive 
it  with  candour  and  fairncfs,  whenever  it  fliould 
come  fupported  with  fufficient  evidence  ;  becaufc, 
from  confidering  the  wants  of  man  and  the  mercy 
of  God,  it  appears  highly  probable  that  fuch  a  re- 
velation would  fme  time  or  other  be  vouchfafed  to 
mankind. 


PROPOSITION    ir. 


A 


T    THE    VERY     TIME   WHENT    THERE    WA^ 
A  GENERAL  EXPECTATIOxV  I  xV  THE  WORLl> 
OF     SOME     EXTRAORDINARY      PERSONAGE 
MAKING    HIS    APPEARANCE    IN    IT,     A    PER- 
SON   CALLED    JESUS    CHRIST  DID    ACTUAL- 
LY      APPEAR      UPON      EARTH,      ASSERTING 
THAT      HE     WAS     THE     SON      OF      GOD,    AND 
THAT    HE    CAME    FROM    HEAVEN    TO  TEACH 
MANKIND       TRUE       RELIGION;      AND       HE 
DID    ACCORDINGLY    FOUND     A     RELIGION, 
WHICH      FROM      HIM       WAS      CALLED       THE 
CHRISTIAN     RELIGION,     AND    WHICH     HAS 
BEEN    PROFESSED    BY    GREAT   NUMBERS   OF 
PEOPLE     FROM     THAT     TIME     TO     THE    PRE- 
SENT. 

IT  was  necefTary  jufl  to  ftate  this  Propofition,  as 
the  foundation  of  all  the  reafoning  that  is  to  fol- 
low (  but  the  truth  of  it  is  fo  univerfally  acknow- 
ledged, that  it  requires  but  very  few  words  to  be 
faid  in  fapport  of  it. 

B  2 


i6 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


of  the  Chrijiian  Revelation, 


^7 


That  there  was,  about  the  tune  of  our  SavIour^s 
birth,  a  general  expe6lation  fpread  over  the  caft- 
em  part  of  the  world,  that  fome  very  extraordi- 
nary perfon  would  appear  in  Judaea,  is  evident 
both  from  the  fiicred  hiftory  and  from  Pagan  wri- 
ters. St.  Matthew  informs  us,  that  when  Jefus 
was  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Judxa,  there  came  wife 
men  (probably  men  of  confiderable  rank  and  learn- 
ing in  their  own  country)  from  the  Eafl,  faying, 
**  Where  is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews  ;  for 
we  have  feen  his  (lar  in  the  Eaft,  and  are  come  to 
worflilp  him  r"  In  confirmation  of  this,  two  Ro- 
man hiftorians,  Suetonius  and  Tacitus,  aflert,  that 
there  prevailed  at  that  time,  over  the  whole  Eaft,  an 
ancient  and  fixed  opinion,  that  there  fliould  arifc 
out  of  Judsea  a  perfon  who  fliould  obtain  dominion 
over  the  world. 

That  at  this  time,  when  Auguftus  Csefar  was  em- 
peror of  Rome,  a  perfon  called  Jefus  Chrift  was 
adlually  born  in  Judaea  ;  that  he  profefi!ed  to  come 
from  heaven  to  teach  mankind  true  religion,  and 
that  he  had  a  multitude  of  followers  ;  the  facred 
hiftorians  unanimoufly  affirm,  and  feveral  heathen 
authors  alfo  bear  teftimony  to  the  fame  fa6ls.  They 
mention  the  very  name  of  Chrift,  and  acknowledge 
that  he  had  a  great  number  of  difciples,  who  from 
him  were  called  Chriftians.  The  Jews,  though  pro- 
feficd  enemies  to  our  religion,  acknowledge  thefe 
things  to  be  true  ;  and  none  even  of  the  earlieft  Pa- 
gans who  wrote  againft  Chriftianity,  ever  pretend- 
ed to  queftion  their  reality.  Thefe  things,  therefore, 
are  as  certain  and  undeniable  as  ancient  hiftory, 
both  facred  and  profane,  and  the  concurrent  tefti- 
mony both  of  friends  and  enemies,  can  poftibly 
make  them. 


PROPOSITION    III. 

Xhe  books  of  the  new  testament 
were  written  by  those  persons  to 
whom  they  are  ascribed,  and  con- 
tain a  faithful  history  of  christ 
and  his  religion:  and  the  account 
there  given  of  both,  may  be  secure- 
ly relied  upon  as  strictly  true. 

THE  books  which  contain  the  hiftory  of  Chrift 
and  of  the  Chriftian  religion,  are  the  four  Gofpels 
and  the  aiSts  of  the  Apoftles.  That  the  Gofpels 
were  written  by  the  perfons  whofe  names  they 
bear,  namely,  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John, 
there  is  no  more  reafon  to  doubt,  than  that  the 
hiftories  which  we  have  under  the  names  of  Xc- 
nophon,  Livy,  or  Tacitus,  were  written  by  thofe 
authors. 

A  great  many  paftliges  are  alluded  to  or  quotcwl 
from  the  Evangelifts,  exa6lly  as  we  read  theni 
now,  by  a  regular  lucceffion  of  Chriftian  writers, 
from  the  time  of  the  Apoftles  down  to  this  hour  ; 
and  at  a  very  early  period  their  names  are  men- 
tioned as  the  authors  of  their  refpecSlive  gofpels  ; 
which  is  more  than  can  be  faid  for  any  other  an- 
cient hiftorian  whatever.* 

Thefe  books  have  always   been   confidered  by 
the   whole   Chriftian   world,   from    the    Apoftolic' 
age,   as  containing  a  faithful  hiftory  of  their  reli- 
gion, and  therefore  they  ought  to  be  received  ns 
futh ;   juft  as  we  allow  the  Koran  to  contain   a 

*  Lai  oner's  Credibility,  b.  i.  and  Pahy's  Evidences,  vol,  i. 


J  8  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

genuine  account  of  the  Mahometan  reh'gion,  and 
the  facred  books  of  the  Bramins  to  contain  a  true 
reprefentation  of  the  Hindoo  religion. 

That  all  the  facfb  related  in  thefe  writings,  and 
the  accounts  given  of  every  thing  our  Saviour  faid 
and  did,  are  alfo  ftriaiy  true,  we  have  the  mofl 
lubftantial  grounds  for  believing  : 

For,  in  the  iirft  place,  the  writers  had  the  very 
bell  means  of  information,  and  could  not  poflibly 
be  deceived  themfelves. 

And,  in  the  next  place,  they  could  have  no  con- 
ceivable inducement  for  impoilng  upon  others. 

St.  Matthew  and  St.  John  were  two  of  our 
Lord's  Apoftles  •,  his  conftant  companions  and  at- 
tendants throughout  the  whole  of  his  miniflry. 
They  were  a^ually  prefenl  at  the  fcenes  which 
they  defcribe ;  cye-witnefles  of  the  fa6ls,  and  ear- 
tvitneflcs  of  the  difcourfes,  which  they  relate. 

St.  Mark  and  St.  Luke,  though  not  themfelves 
Apoftles,.  yet  were  the  contemporaries  and  com- 
panions of  Apoftles,  and  in  habits  of  fociety  and 
friendfliip  with  thofc  who  had  been  prefent  at  the 
tranfadlions  which  they  record.  St.  Luke  ex- 
prefsly  fays  this  in  the  beginning  of  his  gofpel, 
which  opens  with  thcfe  words  :  "  For  as  much  as 
many  have  taken  in  hand  to  fit  forth  in  order  a 
declaration  of  thofe  things  which  arc  moft  furely 
believed  amongft  us ;  even  as  they  delivered  them 
unto  us,  which  from  the  beginning  were  f)v- 
•uuificjps  and  tninijhers  of  the  ivord,  it  fecmed  good 
to  me  alfo,  having  had  perfect  under/landing  of  all 
things  frctn  the  very  frfy  to  write  unto  thee,  in 
order,  mofk  excellent  Theophilus,  that  thou  might- 
ell  know  the  certainty  of  thofe  things  wherein  thou 
hatl  been  inilruaed.*'     St.   Luke  alfo  being  the 


cf  the  Chrijlian  Revelation. 


If 


author  of  the  A6ls  of  the  Apoftles,  we  have,  for 
the  writers  of  thefe  ^\q  books,  pcrfons  who  had 
the  moil  perfect  kncnuledge  of  every  thing  they  re- 
late, either  from  their  own  perfonal  obfervation, 
or  from  immediate  communications  with  thofe 
who  faw  and  heard  every  thing  that  pafTed. 

They  could  not  therefore  be  themfelves  de- 
ceive ;  nor  could  they  have  the  lead  inducement, 
or  the  leaft  inclination,  to  deceive  others. 

They  were  plain,  honeft,  artlefs,  unlearned  men, 
in  very  humble  occupations  of  life,  and  utterly  m- 
capable  of  inventing  or  carrying  on  fuch  a  refined 
and  complicated  fyftem  of  fraud,  as  the  Chriftian 
Religion  muft  have  been  if  it  was  not  true.  There 
are,  beiides,  the  ftrongefk  marks  of  fairnefs,  can- 
dour, fimplicity,  and  truth,  throughout  the  whole 
of  their  narratives.  Their  greateft  enemies  have 
never  attempted  to  throw  the  leafh  ftain  upon  their 
chara(fkers  ;  and  how  then,  can  they  be  fuppofed 
capable  of  fo  grofs  an  impofition  as  that  of  afiert- 
Ing  and  propagating  the  moft  impudent  fiiSlion  ? 
They  could  gain  by  it  neither  pleafure,  profit,  nor 
power.  On  the  contrary,  it  brought  upon  them 
the  mofl  dreadful  evils,  and  even  death  itfelf.  If, 
therefore,  they  were  cheats,  they  were  cheats 
without  any  motive,  and  without  any  advantage; 
nay,  contrary  to  every  motive  and  every  advan- 
tage that  ufually  influence  the  adlions  of  men. 
They  preached  a  religion  which  forbids  falfehood 
under  pain  of  eternal  punifhment,  and  yet,  on  this 
fuppofition,  they  fupported  that  rehgion  by  falfe- 
hood ;  and  whilfl  they  were  guilty  of  the  bafefl 
and  .mofl  ufeleis  knavery  themfelves,  they  were 
taking    infinite    pains,    and    going    through    the 


70 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


greateft  labour  and  fufFerings,  in  order  to  teach 
honefty  to  all  mankind. 

Is  this  credible  ?  Is  this  poffible  ?  Is  not  this 
a  mode  of  aifling  fo  contrary  to  all  experience,  to 
all  the  principles  of  human  nature,  and  to  all  the 
ufual  motives  of  human  conduift,  as  to  exceed  the 
utmoft  bounds  of  belief,  and  to  compel  every  rea- 
fonable  man  to  reject  at  once  fo  monftrous  a  fup- 
pofition. 

The  facfls,  therefore,  related  in  the  Gofpels,  and 
in  the  Adls  of  the  Apoftles,  even  thofe  evidently 
miraculous,  muji  be  true  j  for  the  teflimony  of 
thofe  who  die  for  what  they  aflert  is  evidence  fuf- 
ficient  to  fupport  any  miracle  whatever.  And  this 
opinion  of  their  veracity  is  ftrongly  confirmed  by 
the  following  confiderations. 

There  arc,  in  all  the  facred  writings  of  the  New 
Teftament,  continual  allufions  and  references  to 
things,  perfons,  places,  manners,  cuftoms  and  opi- 
nions, which  are  found  to  be  perfedlly  conforma- 
ble to  the  real  ftate  of  things,  at  that  time,  as  re- 
prefented  by  difinterefted  and  contemporary  wri- 
ters. Had  their  ftory  been  a  forgery,  they  would 
certainly  have  been  detedled  in  fome  miftake  or 
other  concerning  thefe  incidental  circumftance?^ 
which  yet  they  have  never  once  been. 

Then,  as  to  the  fadls  themfelves  which  they  re- 
late, great  numbers  of  them  are  mentioned  and  ad- 
mitted both  by  Jewiih  and  Roman  hiftorians  ;  fuch 
as  the  ftar  that  appeared  at  our  Saviour's  birth, 
the  journey  of  the  wife  men  to  Bethlehem,  He- 
rod's murder  of  the  infants  under  two  years  old, 
many  particulars  concerning  John  the  Baptift  and 
Herod,  the  crucifixion  of  our  Lord  under  Pontius 
Pilate,  and  the  earthcj[uake  and  miraculous  dark- 


$f  the  Chriflian  Revelation, 


21 


nefs  which  attended  it.  Nay,  even  many  of 
the  miracles  which  Jefus  himfelf  wrought,  par- 
ticularly the  curing  the  lame  and  blind,  and  call- 
ing out  devils,  are,  as  to  the  matters  of  fa^y  ex- 
prefsly  owned  and  admitted  by  leveral  of  the  ear- 
lieft  and  moft  implacable  enemies  of  Chriftlanity. 
For  though  they  afcribed  thefe  miracles  to  the  af- 
fiftance  of  evil  fpirits,  yet  they  allowed  that  the 
miracles  themfelves  were  a^ually  wrought.* 

This  teftimony  of  our  adverfiiries,  even  to  the 
miraculous  parts  of  the  facred^  hiftory,  is  the 
ftrongeft  poffible  confirmation  of  the  truth  and 
authority  of  the  whole. 

It  is  alfo  certain,  that  the  books  of  the  Nevr 
Teftament  have  come  down  to  the  prefent  times 
without  any  material  alteration  or  corruption  ; 
and  that  they  are,  in  all  eflTential  points,  the  fame 
as  they  came  from  the  hands  of  their  authors. 

That  in  the  various  trartfcripts  of  thefe  wri- 
tings, as  in  all  other  ancient  books,  a  few  letters, 
fyllables,  or  even  words,  may  have  been  changed, 
we  do  not  pretend  to  deny ;  but  that  there  has 
been  any  defigned  or  fraudulent  corruption  of  any 
confiderable  part,  efpecially  of  any  doarine,  or  any 
important  paflage  of  hiftory,  no  one  has  ever  at- 
tempted, or  been  able,  to  prove.  Indeed  it  was 
abfolutely  impofllble.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but 
that,  as  foon  as  any  of  the  original  writings  came 
out  of  the  hands  of  their  authors,  great  numbers 
of  copies  were  immediately  taken,  and  fent  to  all 
the  different  Chriftian  churches.  We  know  that 
they  were  publicly  read  in  the  religious  aflemblies 
of  the  firft  Chriftians.     We  know,  alfo,  that  they 

•  Clarke's  Evidences  of  Natural  and  Revealed  Religion. 


22  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

were  very  Toon  tranflated  into  a  variety  of  foreign 
languages,    and    thefe   ancient    verfions   (many  of 
which  ftill  remain)  were  quickly  difperfed  into  all 
parts  of  the   known   world;    nay   even  feveral  of 
the  original  manufcripts  remained  to  the  time  of 
Tertullian,    at    the   end  of  the  fecond    century.* 
There  are  numberlefs  quotations  from  every  part 
of  the  New  Teftament  by  Chriftian  writers,   from 
the  earlieft  ages  down   to  the  prefent,   all  which 
fubftantially   agree  with  the  prefent   text   of  the 
facred  writings.      Bcfides  which  a  variety  of  fedls 
and  herefies  foon  arofe  in  the  Chriftian  Church, 
and  each  of  thefe  appealed  to  the  Scriptures  for 
the  truth  of  their  doarincs.     It  would,  therefore, 
have  been  utterly  impoffible  for  any  one  fea  to 
have  made  any  material  alteration  in  the  facred 
bocks,  without  being  immediately  detefted  and  ex- 
pofed  by  all  the  others.f     Their  mutual  jealoufy 
and  fufpicion  of  each  other  would  effbaually  pre- 
vent  any  grofs  adulteration  of  the  facred  volumes  j 
and  with  refpea  to  leller  matters,   the  beft   and 
moft  able  critics  have,  after  the  moft  minute  exa. 
mmation,  aiTerted  and  proved,  that  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures-bf  thcNewTeftament  have  fuffered  lefs  from 
the  injury  of  time,   and  the  errors  of  tranfcribers, 
than  any  other  ancient  writings  whatfoever.J: 

•  Grotlus  de  Ver.  L  j.  f.  a.  f  Beattie,  vol.  i.  p.  t88. 

\  The  ftyle,  too,  of  the  Gofpcl  (fays  the  amiable  and  tlegant  au- 
thor of  the  Minftrel)  bears  intrinfic  evidence  of  its  truth.  We  End 
there  no  appearance  of  artifice  or  of  party  fpirit ;  no  attempt  to  ex- 
aggerate on  the  one  hand,  or  depreciate  on  the  other ;  no  remarks 
thrown  m  to  anticipate  objedions ;  nothing  of  that  caution  which 
never  fails  to  diftinguiih  the  teftimony  of  thofe  who  are  confcious 
of  mipofture ;  no  endeavour  to  reconcile  the  reader's  mind  to  what 
•ay  b;;  extracrdijiary  in  the  narrative ;  all  is  fair,  candid,  and  Ura^ 


cf  the  Chrijlian  Revelation, 


PROPOSITION    IV. 


25 


Xhe  scripturxs  of  the  old  testa- 
ment, WHICH  ARE  CONNECTED  WITH 
THOSE  OF  THE  NEW,  ARE  THE  GENUINE 
WRITINGS  OF  THOSE  WHOSE  NAMES  THEY 
BEAR,  AND  GIVE  A  TRUE  ACCOUNT  OF 
THE  MOSAIC  DISPENSATION,  AS  WELL  AS 
OF  THE  HISTORICAL  FACTS,  THE  DIVINE 
COMMANDS,  THE  MORAL  PRECEPTS,  AND 
THE   PROPHECIES    WHICH  THEY    CONTAIN. 

THAT  part  of  the  Bible,  which  is  called  the 
Old  Teflament,  contains  a  great  variety  of  very 
clitFerent  compofitions,  fome  hiftorical,  fome  poeti- 
cal, fome  moral  and  preceptive,  fome  prophetical ; 
written  at  different  times,  and  by  different  per- 
fons,  and  colle(5ted  into  one  volume  by  the  care  of 
the  Jews. 

That  thefe  books  were  all  written  by  thofe  whofc 
names  they  bear,  there  is  not  the  leaft  reafonable 
ground  to  doubt  •,  they  have  been  always  confider- 
cd  as  the  writings  of  thofe  perfons  by  the  whole 
Jewifh  nation  (who  were  moft  interefted  in  their 
authenticity,  and  moft  likely  to  know  the  truth,) 
from  the  earlieft  times  down  to  the  present :  and 
no  proof  to  the  contrary  has  ever  yet  been  pro- 
duced. 

That  thefe  writings  have  come  down   to  us  in 

|-)L'.  The  tiuorians  make  no  reflexions  of  their  own,  but  ccnfinc 
thjnifelves  to  matter  of  fad,  th:it  is,  to  what  they  heard  and  faw; 
and  honcilly  record  their  own  miHakcs  and  faults,  as  well  as  the 
Cth^r  particulars  of  tJic  fcory.     Dcctt-cs  Evidences ^  1'.  l./.  89. 


^  »Bij>«f  •■"'I'y'ft*^ 


14  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

the  fame  ftate  in  which  they  were  originally  writ- 
ten, as  to  all  eflential  points,  there  is  every  reafon 
to  believe.  The  original  manufcripts  were  long 
preferved  among  the  Jews.  A  copy  of  the  book 
of  the  law  was  preferved  in  the  ark  ;  it  was  order- 
ed to  be  read  publickly  every  fcven  years,  at  the 
feaft  of  the  tabernacles,  as  well  as  privately,  and 
frequently,   in  every  Jewifh  family. 

There  is  a  copy  ftill  extant,  of  the  five  books  of 
Mofes  (which  are  called  the  Pentateuch,)  taken 
by  the  Samaritans,  who  were  bitter  enemies  to  the 
Jews,  and  always  at  variance  with  them  ;  and  this 
copy  agrees,  in  every  material  inftance,  with  the 
Jewifh  copy. 

Near  three  hundred  years  before  Chrift,  thefe 
fcriptures  were  tranflatcd  into  Greek,  and  this  ver- 
fion  (called  the  Septuagint)  agrees  alfo  in  all  eflen- 
tial articles  with  the  Hebrew  original.  This  being 
very  widely  fpread  over  the  world,  rendered  any 
confiderable  alteration  extremely  difficult :  and  the 
difperfion  of  the  Jews  into  all  the  different  regions 
of  the  globe,  made  it  next  to  impoflible. 

The  Jews  were  always  remarkable  for  being 
moft  faithful  guardians  of  tlieir  facred  books, 
which  they  tranfcribed  repeatedly,  and  compared 
moft  carefully  with  the  originals,  and  of  which 
they  even  numbered  the  words  and  letters.  That 
they  have  not  corrupted  any  of  their  prophetical 
writings  appears  from  hence  ;  that  we  prove  Jefus 
to  be  the  Meffiah  from  many  of  thofc  very  prophe- 
cies which  they  have  themfelves  preferved  ;  and 
which  (if  their  invincible  fidelity  to  their  facred  books 
had  not  reftrained  them)  their  hatred  to  Chriftlan- 
ity  would  have  led  them  to  alter  or  to  fupprefs. 
And  their  credit  is  ftill  further  eftabliflied  by  this 


fif  the  Chrijian  Revelation, 


2C 


circumftance,  that  our  Saviour,  though  he  brings 
many  heavy  charges  againft  the  Scribes  and  Phari- 
fees,  yet  never  once  accufes  them  of  corrupting  or 
falfifying  any  one  of  their  facred  writings. 

It  is  no  lefs  certain  that  thefe  writings  give  a 
true   and   faithful   account  of  the  various  matters 
which  they  contain.      Many  of  the  principal  faas 
and  circumftances  related  in  them,  are  mentioned 
by  the   moft  ancient   heathen  authors.      The  flrft 
origin  and  creation  of  the  world  out  of  chaos,  as 
defcribed  by  Mofes  ;   the  formation  of  the  fun,  the 
moon,  and  the  ftars,  and  afterwards  of  man  him- 
fclf  j   the  dominion  given  him  over  other  animals  ; 
the  completion  of  this  great  work  in  fix  days  5   the 
deftrucftion  of  the  world  by  a  deluge  ;   the  circum- 
ftances of  the  ark  and  the  dove  ;   the   puniflimcnt 
of  Sodom  by  fire  ;   the   ancient    rite   of  circumci- 
fion  •,   many  particulars  relating  to  Mofes,   the  giv- 
ing of  the  law,  and  the  Jewilh  ritual  5   the  names 
of  David  and  Solomon,  and  their  leagues  with  the 
Tyrians  ;    thefe    things   and   many    others   of  the 
fame   fort,   are  exprefsly  mentioned,  or  plainly  al- 
luded to,   in  feveral  Pagan  authors  of  the  hioheft 
antiquity  and  the   beft  credit.      And  a  very  bitter 
enemy  of  the  Jews  as  well  as  Chriftians,  the  Em- 
peror Julian,  is,  by  the  force  of  evidence,   compel- 
led to  confefs,  that  there  were  many  perfons  amonfr 
the  Jews  divinely  infpired  ;   and  that  fire  from  hea- 
ven defcended  on  the  facrifices  of  Mofes  and  Elijah. 
Add  to  this,  that  the  references  made  to  the  Books 
of  the  Old  Teftament,   and  the   paffages   quoted 
from  them  by  our  Saviour  and    his  apoftles,   is   a 
plain  proof,    that  they  acknowledged  the  authority 
of  thofe  writings,  and  the  veracity  of  their  authors. 
It   is   true,  indeed,  that  in  the  hiftorical  Books 

c 


m 


26  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

of  the  Old  Teftament,  there  are  fome  bad  charac- 
ters and  bad  a(n:ions  recorded,  and  fome  very  cruel 
deeds   defcribed  ;   but   thefe   things  are  mentioned 
as  mere  hiftorical  fa£ls,  and  by  no  means  approved 
or  propofed  as  examples   to   others.      And  except- 
ing thefe  pafTages,   which  are  comparatively  few  in 
number,  the  reft  of  thofe  facred   books,   more  ef- 
pecially  Deuteronomy,   the  Pfalms,  Proverbs,  Ec- 
rlefiaftes,   and  the  Prophets,   are  full  of  very  fub- 
lime  reprefentations  of  God  and  his  attributes  ;   of 
very  excellent  rules   for  the   condudl  of  life,   and 
examples   of  almoft   every  virtue  that  can  adorn 
human  nature.      And  thefe  things  were  written  at 
a  time  when  all  the  reft  of  the  world,   even   the 
wifcft,  and  moft  learned,  and  moft  celebrated   na- 
tions of  the  earth,  were  funk  in  the  groffeft  igno- 
rance of  God  and  religion  j   were  worfhipping  idols 
and  brute  beafts,  and  indulging  themfelves  in  the 
moft  abominable  vices.      It  is  a  moft  fingular  cir- 
cumftance,  that  a  people  in  a  remote,  obfcure  cor- 
ner of  the  worLl,   very  inferior  to  fcveral  heathen 
nations  in  learning,  in  philofophy,  in  genius,  in  fci- 
ence,  and  z\\  the  polite  arts,  fhould  yet  be  fo  in- 
finitely their  fuperiors  in  their  ideas  cf  the  Supreme 
r>eing,   and  in  every  thing  relating  to  morality  and 
religion.      This  can  no  otherwife  be  accounted  for, 
than  on  the  fuppofition  of  their  Jiavlng   been   in- 
ftrufled  in  thefe  things  by  God  himfelf,  or  by  per- 
fons  commiflloned  and  infpired   by  him  ;   that   is, 
of  their   having  been  really  favoured  with  thofe 
divine  revelations,  which  are  recorded  in  the  Books 
of  the  Old  Teftament. 

With  refpc<Sl  to  the  prophecies  v>'hich  they  con- 
tain, the  truth  of  a  great  part  of  thefe  h?s  been 
ijifallibiy  proved  by  the  cxa<ft  fulfilment   of  them 


of  the  Chri/fian  Revelation. 


27 


in  fubfequent  ages,  fuch  as  thofe  relating  to  our 
Saviour,  (which  will  be  hereafter  fpecified)  to  Ba- 
bylon, to  Egypt,  to  Edom,  to  Tyre  and  Sidon. 
But  thofe  which  refer  more  particularly  to  the  dif- 
perfion  of  the  Jews  are  fo  very  numerous  and  clear, 
and  the  accomplifliment  of  them,  in  the  prefent 
ftate  of  the  Jews,  is  a  h£t  which  obtrudes  itfelf,  at 
this  moment,  fo  irreftftibly  upon  cur  fenfcs,  that 
I  cannot  forbear  prefenting  to  the  reader  fome  cf 
the  moft  remarkable  of  thofe  predictions,  as  they 
are  drawn  together  by  a  moft  able  writer. 

It  was  foretold  by  Mofcs,  that  when  the  Jews 
forfook  the  true  God,  "  they  fliould  be  removed 
into  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  Ihould  be  fcat- 
tered  among  the  heathen,  among  all  people,  from, 
the  one  end  of  the  earth  even  unto  the  other ;, 
fhould  become  an  aftonifhment,  a  proverb,  and  a 
by-word,  among  all  nations  ;  and,  that  amorg 
thofe  nations  they  Ihould  find  no  eafe,  neither 
fhould  the  folc  of  their  foot  have  reft  5  but  the 
Lord  ftiould  give  them  a  trembling  heart,  and  fail- 
ing of  eyes,  and  forrow  of  mind,  and  fend  a 
faintnefs  into  their  hearts  in  the  land  of  their  ene- 
mies •,  fo  that  the  found  of  a  fhaken  leaf  fhcald 
chafe  them."*  The  fame  things  are  continually 
predicted  through  all  the  following  prophets  : 
"  That  God  would  difperfe  them  through  the 
countries  of  the  heathen  j  that  he  would  fift  them 
among  all  nations,  like  as  corn  is  fifted  in  a  fieve  ; 
that  in  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  whither  they 
Ihould  be  driven,  they  Ihould  be  a  reproach  and 
a  proverb,  a  taunt  and  a  curfc,  and  an  aftonifh- 


*  Dcut.  28.  25  ;  Lev.  26.  33  ;  Deut.  4.  27  ;  Deut.  28.  64 ;  Dcut. 
48.  37  ;  Deut.  28.  6j  ;  Lev.  26.  36. 

C  2 


*, ., 


28  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

ment  and  a  biffing  ;  and  that  they  fhould  abide 
many  days  without  a  king,  and  without  a  prince, 
and  without  a  facrifice,  and  without  an  image,  and 
without  an  cphod,  and  without  a  teraphim."f 

Had  any  thing  like  this,  in  the  time  of  Mofes 
or  of  the  Prophets,  ever  happened  to  any  nation 
in  the  world  ?      Or  was  there  in  nature  any  pro- 
bability that  any  fuch  thing  fhould  ever  happen  to 
any  people  ?    That  when  they  were  conquered  by 
their  enemies,  and   led  into  captivity,  they  fhould 
neither  continue  in  the  place  of  their  captivity,  nor 
be  fwallowed  up  and  loft  among  their  conquerors, 
but  be  fcattered  among  all  the  nations  of  the  world, 
and  hated  and  perfecuted  by  all  nations  for  many 
ages,  and  yet  continue  a  diftin^  people  ?    Or  could 
any  defcription   of  the   Jews,   written  at  this  day, 
be  a  more  exaa:  and  lively  pi^ure  of  the  ftate  they 
have  now  been  in  for   many  ages,  than  thefe  pro- 
phetic defcriptions,  el]oecially  that  of  Mofes,  given 
more  than  3,000  years  ago.* 


PROPOSITION    V. 

X  HE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST,  AS  REPRE- 
SENTED IN  THE  GOSPELS,  AFFORDS  VERY 
STRONG  GROUND  FOR  BELIEVING  THAT 
HE    WAS    A    DIVINE    PERSON. 

WHOEVER  confiders  with  attention  the  cha- 
rafter  of  our  bleiTed  Lord,  as  it  may  be  colkaed 
from   the  various  incidents  and  actions  of  his  life, 

t  Ezck.  20.  13  ;  II.  15 ;  Amos,  9.  9 ;  Jer.  24.  9 ;  29.  18  j  Ho- 
fea,  3.  4. 

*  Clarke's  Evidences,  p.  176,  277, 


of  the  Chrifiiati  Revehitioii.  29 

{for  there  are  no  laboured  defcriptions  of  It,  no 
encomiums  upon  it,  by  his  own  difciples)  will  foon 
difcover   that  it  was,   in  every  refpetl,   the  moft 
perfecl  that  ever  was  made  known  to  mankind. 
If  we  only  fay  of  him  what  even  Pilate  faid  of 
him,   and  what  his  bittereft  enemies  cannot  and 
do  not  deny,   that  we  can  find  no  fault  in  him^  and 
that  the  whole  tenor  of  his  life  was  entirely  blame- 
lefs  throughout,  this  is  more  than  can  be  faid  of 
any  oth«er  perfon  that  ever  came  into  the  world  i 
But  this  is  going  a  very  little  way  indeed  in  the 
excellence  of  his  character.     He  was  not  only  free 
from  every  failing,  but  pofTefled  and  praaifed  every 
imaginable  virtue.     Towards  his  heavenly  Father 
he  exprefled  the  moft  ardent  love,  the  moft  fcr- 
v<int  yet  rational   devotion,   and   difplayed  in  his 
whole  conducl  the  mcft  abfolute  refignation  to  his 
will   and  obedience  to  his  commands.      His  man- 
ners were  gentle,   mild,  condcfcending,  and  gra- 
cious :    his  heart  overflowed  with  kindnefs,  com- 
paflion,   and  tendernefs  to  the  whole  human  race. 
The  great  employment  of  his  life  was  to  do  good 
to  the  bodies  and  fouls  of  men.      In  this  all  his 
thoughts  and  all  his  time  were  conftantly  and  al- 
moft   inceiTantly  occupied.      He   went   about   dif- 
penftng  his  bleffings  to  all  around   him  in  a  thou- 
fand  different  ways  ;   healing  dileafes,  relieving  in- 
firmities,  ccrrecliijg   errors,    removing  prejudices 
promoting  piety,  juftice,  charity,  peace,  harmony, 
among  men,   and  crowding  into  the  narrow  com- 
pafs  of  his  miniftry  more  a^s  of  mercy  and  com- 
pafllon  than  the  lQ;igeft  life  of  the  moft  benevolent 
man  upon    earth   ever    yet   produced.      Over   his 
own  pafTions  he  had  obtained  the  moft  complete 
command  ;  and  though  his  patience  was  continu* 

c  3 


30  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

ally  put  to  the  fevereft  trials,  yet  he  was  never 
once  overcome,  never  once  betrayed  into  any  intem- 
perance or  excefs  in  word  or  dttd^  "  never  once 
rpake  unadvifedly  with  his  lips."  He  endured  the 
crueleft  infults  from  his  enemies  with  the  utmoft 
compofure,  meeknefs,  patience,  and  refignation  5 
difplayed  the  moft  aftonifhing  fortitude  under  a 
mod  painful  and  ignominious  death ;  and,  to 
crown  all,  in  the  very  midft  of  his  torments  on 
the  crofs,  implored  forgivenefs  for  his  murderers 
in  that  divinely  charitable  prayer,  "  Father,  for- 
give them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

Nor  was  his  wifdom  inferior  to  his  virtues. 
The  doctrines  he  taught  were  the  moft  fublime 
and  the  moft:  important  that  were  ever  before  de- 
livered to  mankind,  and  every  way  worthy  of  that 
God,  from  whom  he  profefTed  to  derive  them, 
and  whofe  fon  he  declared  himfelf  to  be. 

His  precepts  inculcated  the  pureft  and  moft 
perfe<fl  morality ;  his  difcourfcs  were  full  of  digni- 
ty and  wifdom,  yet  intelligible  and  clear ;  his  pa- 
rables conveyed  inftru(fbion  in  the  moft  pleafing, 
familiar,  and  impreflive  manner ;  and  his  anfwers 
to  the  many  infidious  queftions  that  were  put  to 
him,  fhewed  uncommon  quicknefs  of  conception, 
foundnefs  of  judgment,  and  prefence  of  mind, 
completely  bafHed  all  the  artifices  and  malice  of 
his  enemies,  and  enabled  him  to  elude  all  the 
fnarcs  that  were  laid  for  him.  It  appears  then, 
even  from  this  fhort  and  imperfect  fkctch  of  our 
Snviour's  charaifler,  that  he  was,  beyond  compa- 
rifon,  the  wifeft  and  moft  virtuous  perfon  that 
ever  appeared  ;  and  even  his  bittercft  enemies  al- 
low that  he  was  fo.  If,  then,  he  was  confefledly 
fo  great  and  fo  good  a  man,  it  unavoidably  fol- 


of  the  Chrijiian  Revelation, 


3» 


lows  that  he  muft  be,  what  he  pretended  to  be,  a 
divine  perfon,  and  of  courfe  his  religion  alfo  muft 
be  divine  5  for  he  certainly  laid  claim  to  a  divine 
original.  He  aflerted,  that  he  was  the  fon  of 
God  5  that  he  and  his  religion  came  from  hea- 
ven ;  and  that  he  had  the  power  of  working  mi- 
racles. If  this  was  not  the  cafe,  he  muft,  in  a 
matter  of  infinite  importance,  have  aflerted  what 
had  no  foundation  in  truth.  But  is  fuch  a  fuppo- 
fition  as  this  in  the  fmalleft  degree  credible  ?  Is  it 
probable,  is  it  conceivable,  \^  it  confiftent  with  the 
general  conduct  of  man,  is  it  reconcileable  with 
the  acknowledged  charader  of  our  Lord,  to  fup- 
pofe,  that  any  thing  but  truth  could  proceed  from 
him  whom  his  very  enemies  allow  to  have  been  in 
every  rcrpeiH:  (and  of  courfe  in  point  of  veracity) 
the  beft  and  moft  virtuous  of  men  ?  Was  it  ever 
known,  is  there  a  fingle  inftance  to  be  produced 
in  the  hiftory  of  mankind  of  any  one  fo  unble- 
mifhed  in  morals  as  Chrift  confefledly  was,  per- 
fifting  for  fo  great  a  length  of  time  as  he  did  in 
aflertions,  which  if  untrue,  would  be  repugnant  to 
the  cleareft  principles  of  morality,  and  moft  fatal 
in  their  confequences  to  thofe  he  loved  beft,  his 
followers  and  his  friends  ^  Is  it  poflible,  that  the 
pure,  the  upright,  the  pious,  the  devout,  the  meek, 
the  gentle,  the  humane,  the  merciful  Jefus,  could 
engage  multitudes  of  innocent  and  virtuous  people 
in  the  belief  and  fupport  of  a  religion  which  he 
knew  muft  draw  on  them  perfecution,  mifery  and 
death,  unlefs  he  had  been  authorifed  by  God  him- 
felf to  eftablilh  that  religion  ;  and  unlefs  he  was 
confcious  that  he  poflefTed  the  power  of  amply  re- 
compenfing  thofc  who  preferred  his  religion  to 
every  other  confideration  ?  The  common  fenfe  and 


Jk 


32  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

common  feelings  of  mankind  muft  revolt  at  fuch 
a  prepofterous  idea. 

It  follows,   then,   that  Chrift  was,  in  truth,  a 
divine  teacher,  and  his  religion  the  gift  of  God. 


PROPOSITION    VI. 


T 


HE  SUBLIMITY  OF  OUR  LORd's  DOC 
TRINES  AND  THE  PURITY  OF  HIS  MORAL 
PRECEPTS  CONFIRM  THE  BELIEF  OF  HIS 
DIVINE    MISSION. 

THERE  is  no  where  to  be  found  fuch  impor- 
tant information,  and  fuch  juft  and  noble  fenti- 
mcnts  concerning  God  and  Religion,  as  in  the 
Scriptures  of  the  New  Tellament. 

They  teach  us,  in  the  firft  place,  that  there  is 
one  Almighty   Being,  who  created   all   thi^lgs,  of 
infinite  power,   wifdom,  juftice,  mercy,  goodnefs  ; 
that  he  is  the  governor  and  preferver  of  this  world, 
which  he  has  made ;   that  his  providential  care  is 
over  all  his  work^ ;   and  that  he  more  particularly 
regards  the  atiairs  and  condua  of  men.  They  teach 
us,  that  we  are  to  worfliip  this  great  Being  m  fpi- 
rit  and  in  truth  ;   and  that  the  love  of  him  is  the 
firll    and    great    commandment,    the    fource    and 
fpring  of  all  virtue.      They  teach  us,   more  parti- 
cularly,  how  to  pray  to  him,  and  for  that  purpofe 
fupply  us  with  a  form  of  prayer,  called  the  Lord's 
Prayer,   "  which  is  a  model   of  calm  and  rational 
devotion,   and  which,  for  its  concifenefs,  its  clear- 
nefs,  its  faitablencfs  to  every  condition,  and  for  the 
weight,   folemnity,   and  real   importance  of  its  pe- 
titions, is   wlchout    an  equal  or  a  rival."*     They 

*  Paky. 


of  the  ChrijTian  Revelation. 


3? 


teach  us,  moreover,  what  we  all  feel  to  be  true, 
that  the  human  heart  is  weak  and  corrupt  ;  that 
man  is  fallen  from  his  original  innocence  ;  that  he 
is  reftored,  however,  to  the  favour  of  God,  and 
the  capacity  of  happinefs,  by  the  death  and  media- 
tion and  atonement  of  Chrift,  who  is  the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life  ;  and  that  he  will  be  aflifted  in 
his  fincere,  thouj^h  imnerfecl  endeavours  after  ho- 
linefs,   by  the  influence  of  God's  Holy  Spirit. 

They  aflure  us,  in  fine,  that  the  foul  does  not 
perifh  with  the  body,  but  fliall  pafs,  after  death', 
into  another  world  •,  that  all  mankind  fhall  rife 
from  the  grave,  and  ftand  before  the  judgment- 
feat  of  Chrift,  who  fliall  reward  the  virtuous,  and 
punifh  the  wicked,  in  a  future  and  eternal  flate  of 
exiftence,  according  to  their  deferts. 

Thefe  are  great,  and  intercfting,  and  moment- 
ous truths,  either  wholly  unknown,  or  but  very 
imperfeclly  known  to  the  world  before ;  and  they 
render  the  meaneft  peafant  in  this  country  better 
acquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  Supreme  Being, 
and  the  relation  in  which  we  ftand  to  him,  than 
were  any  of  the  greateft  fages  of  ancient  times. 

Equally  excellent,  and  fuperior  to  all  other  rules 
of  life,  are  the  moral  precepts  of  the  Gofpel. 

Our  divine  Mafter,  in  the  firft  place,  laid  down 
two  great  leading  principles  for  our  condu6l:,  love 
to  God,  and  love  to  mankind;  and  thence  dedu- 
ced (as  occaftons  offered,  and  incidents  occurred, 
which  gave  peculiar  force  and  energy  to  his  in- 
fbru6\ions)  all  the  principal  duties  towards  God, 
our  neighbour,   and  ourfelves. 

With  refpedt  to  God,  we  are  commanded  to 
love,  fear,  worlhip,  and  obey  him  ^  to  fet  him  al- 
ways before  us ;  to  do  all  things  to  his  glory  \  to 


34  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 

feek  firft  his  kingdom  and  his  righteoufnefs  ;  ta 
refign  ourfelves  wholly  to  his  pleafure,  and  fubmlt, 
with  patience,  cheerfulnefs,  and  refignation,  to 
every  thing  he  thinks  fit  to  bring  upon  us. 

With  regard  to  our  neighbour,  we  are  to  exer- 
cife  towards  him  the  duties  of  charity,  juftice, 
equity,  and  truth  ;  we  are  to  love  him  as  our- 
felves, and  to  do  unto  all  men  as  we  would  they 
fhould  do  unto  us  -,  a  mod  admirable  rule,  which 
comprehends  the  fum  and  fubftance  of  all  fecial 
▼irtue,  and  which  no  man  can  miftake. 

As  to  thofe  duties  which  concern  ourfelves,  we 
are  commanded  to  keep  ourfelves  unfpotted  from 
the  world,  to  be  temperate  in  all  things,  to  keep 
our  body  under,  and  bring  it  into  fubjedion,  to 
preferve  an  abfolute  command  over  all  our  paffions^ 
and  to  live  foberly,  righteoufly,  and  godly  in  this 
prefent  world. 

Thefe  are  the  general  dire^Flions  given  for  our 
conduct  in  the  various  {itu:\tions  and  relations  of 
life.  More  particular  injun(ftions  are  given  in  va- 
rious parts  of  Scripture,  efpecially  in  our  Saviour*s 
admirable  fermon  from  the  mount,  where  we  find 
a  multitude  of  moft  excellent  rules  of  life,  fhort, 
fententious,  folemn,  and  important,  full  of  wifdom 
and  dignity,  yet  intelligible  and  clear.  But  the 
principal  excellence  of  the  gofpel  morality,  and 
that  which  gives  it  an  infinite  fuperiority  over  all 
other  moral  inftru(5lions,  is  this  ;  that  it  prefers  a 
meek,  yielding,  complying,  forgiving  temper,  to 
that  violent,  overbearing,  inflexible,  imperious  dif- 
pofition,  which  prevails  fo  much  in  the  world  ; 
that  it  regulates  not  merely  our  aaions,  but  our 
afte<ftiDns  and  our  inclinations  ;  and  places  the 
check  to-  iicentioufnefs  exadly  where  it  ought  to 


§f  the  ChriJIian  Revelation, 


35 


be,  that  is,  on  the  heart ;  that  it  forbids  us  to 
covet  the  praife  of  men  in  our  devotions,  our  alms, 
and  all  our  other  virtues  ;  that  it  gives  leading 
rules  and  principles  for  all  the  relative  duties  of 
life  i  of  hufbands  and  wives,  of  parents  and  chil- 
dren, of  mafters  and  fervants,  of  Chriflian  teach- 
ers and  their  difciples,  of  governors  and  fubje£ls  \ 
that  it  commands  us  to  be,  as  it  were,  lights  in  the 
world,  and  examples  of  good  to  all  j  to  injure  no 
man,  but  to  bear  injuries  patiently  ;  never  to  feek 
revenge,  but  return  good  for  evil :  to  love  our  very 
enemies,  and  to  forgive  others  as  we  hope  to  be 
forgiven  ;  to  raifc  our  thoughts  and  views  above 
the  prefent  life,  and  to  fix  our  affections  principal- 
ly on  that  which  is  to  come. 

But  befides  all  this,  the  manner  in  which  our 
Lord  delivered  all  his  do<5lrines  and  all  his  pre- 
cepts ;  the  concife,  fententious,  folemn,  weighty 
maxims  into  which  he  generally  comprefTed  them  ; 
the  cafy,  familiar,  natural,  pathetic  parJoles  in 
which  he  fometimes  clothed  them  ;  that  divine 
authority,  and  thofe  awful  fan(ftIons  with  which  he 
enforced  them  ;  thefe  circumftances  give  a  v. eight, 
and  dignity,  and  importance  to  the  precepts  of 
Holy  Writ,  which  no  ether  moral  rules  can  boaft. 

If  now  we  afk,  as  it  is  very  natural  to  a£k,  who 
that  extraordinary  perfon  could  be,  that  was  the 
author  of  fuch  uncommonly  excellent  morality  as 
this  ?  the  anfwer  is,  that  he  was,  to  all  outward 
appearance,  the  reputed  fon  of  a  carpenter,  living 
with  his  father  and  mother  in  a  remote  and  ob- 
fcurc  corner  of  the  v;orld,  till  the  time  that  he 
aiTumed  his  public  charadler.  **  Whence,  then, 
l^ad  this  man  thefe  things,  and  what  wifcUm  is 
this  that  was  civen  unto  him  V*      lie  had  evident- 


3<5 


On  the  ^ruih  and  Divim  Origin 


V 
I 


ly  none  of  the  ufual  means  or  opportunities  of  cul- 
tivating his  underflanding  or  improving  his  mind. 
He  was  born  in  a  low  and  indigent  condition,  with- 
out education,   without  learning,  without  any  an- 
cient ftores  from  whence  to  draw  his  wifdom  and 
his  morality,  that  were  at  all  likely  to  fall  into  his 
hands.      You  may,  perhaps,  in  fome  of  the  Greek 
or  Roman  writers,  pick  out  a  few  of  his  precepts, 
or  fomething  like  them.    But  what  does  this  avail  ^ 
Thofe  writers  he  had  never  read.      He  had  never 
ftudied  at  Athens   or  at  Rome  ;   he  had  no  know- 
ledge of  orators  or  phiJofophers.      He  underftood, 
probably,  no  language  but  his  own,   and  had  no- 
thing to  give  him  judcr  notions  of  virtue  and  re- 
ligion  than  the  reft  of  his  countrymen   and  per- 
fons  in  his  humble  rank  of  life  ufually  had.      His 
fellow-labourers  in  this  undertaking,   the  perfons 
who   afTifted  him   during  his  life,   and  into  v/hofe 
hands  his  religion  came  after  his  death,  were  a 
few  fifhermen  on  the  Lake   of    fioerias,    as   un- 
learned  and  uneducated,  and,  for  tho  purpofe  of 
framing  rules  of  morality,  as  unpromiiing  as  him- 
felf.      Is  it  poflible,   then,   that   fuch  men  as  thefe 
could,   without   any  afliftance  whatever,    produce 
fuch   perfecl    and    incomparable    rules    of    life    as 
thofe  of  the  gofpel  •,   fo  greatly  fuperior  in  purity, 
folidity,    perfpicuity,    and   univerfal   ufefulnefs,    to 
all  the  moral  lefibns  of  all  the  philofophers   upon 
earth  put  together  ?    Every  man  of  common  ft^nfe 
xnuil   fee  that  this  is  abfolutely   impoflible ;    and 
that  there  is  no  other  conceivable  way  of  account- 
ing for  this,  than  by  admitting  what  thefe  perfons 
conftantly  affirmed,   that  their  do<£trines  and  their 
prece^s  came  from  the  fountain  of  all  perfe(^ion, 
that  is  from  God  himfclf. 


cf  the  ChriJIian  Revelation, 


37 


PROPOSITION    VIL 

X  HE  RAPID  AND  SUCCESSFUL  PROPA- 
GATION OF  THE  GOSPEL  BY  THE  FIRST 
TEACHERS  OF  IT,  THROUGH  A  LARGE 
PART  OF  THE  WORLD,  IS  A  PROOF  THAT 
THEY  WERE  FAVOURED  WITH  DIVINE 
ASSISTANCE     AND     SUPPORT. 

WE  find  in  the  A^ls  of  the  Apoftles,  and  in 
their  Epiftles,  that  the  number  of  converts  to  the 
Chriftian  Religion  began  to  increafe  confiderably, 
almoft  immediately  after  our  Saviour's  afcenfion, 
and  continued  increafing  to  an  aftonifhing  degree 
through  every  age  till  the  final  eftablifhment  of 
Chriftianity  by  Conftantine.  The  firft  afTembly 
which  we  meet  with  of  Chrift's  difciples,  and  that 
a  few  days  after  his  removal  from  the  world,  con- 
fifted  of  120.*  About  a  week  after  this,  3000 
were  added  in  one  day  •,-[-  and  the  number  of  Chrif^ 
tians  publickly  baptized,  and  publickly  afibciating 
together,  were  very  foon  increafed  to  5000.:!:  In 
a  few  years  after  this,  the  converts  were  defcribed 
as  increafing  in  great  numbers,  in  great  multi- 
tudes, and  even  in  myriads,  tens  of  thoufands  :§ 
and  multitudes  both  of  men  and  women  continued 
to  be  added  daily ;  fo  that  within  about  thirty 
years  after  cmr  Lord's  death,  the  gofpel  was 
fpread,  not  only  throughout  almoft  all  parts  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  but  even  to  Parthia  and  In- 
dia. It  appears  from  the  Epiftles  written  to  fe- 
veral  churches  by  the  Apoftles,   that  there  were 

♦  A(ft»  i.  15.      f  Ads  ii.  41.      I  Ads  iv.  4.      §  Ads  xxl.  20. 


I 


I 


D 


3« 


On  the  ^ruth  and  Divine  Origin 


of  the  Chrijllan  Revelatkn, 


39 


large  congregations  of  Chriilians,  both  at  Rome 
and  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  Greece  and  Afia. 
This  account  is  confirmed  by  contemporary  Ro- 
man hiftorians  ;  and  Pliny,  about  eighty  years  af- 
ter the  Afcenfion,  complains  that  ih\s  fuperjiition^* 
as  he  calls  it,  had  feizcd  not  cities  only,  but  the 
lefler  towns  alfo,  and  the  open  country ;  that  the 
Pagan  temples  were  almoft  deferted,  the  f.icred 
folemnities  fufpended,  and  fcarce  any  purchafers 
to  be  found  for  the  vi(Slims.  About  twenty  years 
after  this,  Juftin  Martyr,  a  Chriftian  writer,  de- 
clares, that  there  was  no  nation  of  men,  whether 
Greeks  or  barbarians,  not  excepting  even  thofe 
favages  that  wandered  in  clans  from  one  region  to 
another,  and  had  no  fijced  habitation,  who  had 
not  learned  to  offer  prayers  and  thankfgivings  to 
the  Fnher  and  Maker  of  all,  in  the  name  of  Je- 
fus,  who  was  crucified.  And  thus  the  Church  of 
Chrifl:  went  on  increafing  more  and  more,  till, 
under  Confbantinc,  the  empire  became  Chriftian ; 
at  which  time  there  is  every  reafon  to  believe  that 
the  Chriftians  were  more  numerous  and  more 
powerful  than  the  Pagans. 

In  what  manner,  now,  can  we  account  for  this 
wonderful  and  unexampled  progrcfs  of  the  ChriC- 
tian  Religion  ? 

If  this  religion  had  fet  out  with  flattering  the 
corrupt  paflions  of  mankind,  and  held  up  to  them 
the  profpecl  of  power,  wealth,  rank,  or  pleafure 
as  the  rewards  of  their  convcrlion  ;  if  it  had 
foothed  their  vices,  humoured  their  prejudices, 
and  encouraged  their  ancient  fuperftitions  *,  if 
the  perfons    who   taught    it    had  been    men    of 

*  The  very  nami  by  which  mo<Lrn  Pagans ^  as  well  as  their  pre- 
deceiTors,  tlic  ancient  Heath j:i3,  dsfcrihc  the  ChrilUan  Religion. 


brilliant  talents,  or  commanding  eloquence  ;  if 
they  had  firft  propofed  it  in  times  of  darknefs  and 
ignorance,  and  among  favage  and  barbarous  na- 
tions ;  if  they  had  been  feconded  by  all  the  influ- 
ence and  authority  of  the  great  potentates  of  the 
earth,  or  propagated  their  doclrines  at  the  head  of 
a  viaorious  army,  one  might  have  feen  fome  rea- 
fon for  their  extraordinary  fuccefs. 

But  it   is   well  known  that  the   very  reverfe  of 
all  this  was  the  real  truth  of  the  cafe.      It  is  well 
known,   that  the  firft  preachers  of  the  Gofpel  de- 
clared  open   v/ar  againft  all  the  folli«:s,   the  vices, 
the    interefts,    the   inveterate   prejudices,    and   fa- 
vourite fuperftitions  of  the  world  ;  that  they  were 
(with    few    exceptions)    men    of    no    abilities,    no 
learning,   no  artificial  rhetoric   or  powers  of  per- 
fuafion  ;   that  their  doarlncs  were  promulgated  in 
an  enlightened  age,   and  to  the  moft  poliflied  na- 
tions, and  had  all  the  wit  and  learning,  and  elo- 
quence and  philofophy  of  the  world   to  contend 
with  :   and  that,  inftead  of  being  aided  by  the  au- 
thority and    influence   of  the   civil   powers,   they 
were  oppofed,   and  harraflcd,    and  perf-cuted  by 
them,  even  to  death,  with  the  moft  unrelenting 
cruelty ;    and  all  thofe  who  embraced  their  doc- 
trines were   expofed   to   the  fame  hardfliips   and 

fufterings. 

Is  it  now  credible,  that,  under  thefe  circum- 
Aances,  twelve  poor  iUiterate  fifliermen  of  Galilee 
fhould  be  able,  merely  by  their  own  natural  pow- 
ers, to  fpread  their  new  religion  in  fo  fliort  a 
fpace,  over  fo  large  a  part  of  the  then  known 
world,  without  any  afliftance  or  co-operation  from- 
any  quarter  whatever  ?  Did  any  thing  cf  the  kind: 
ever  happen  in  the  world,  before  or  fince  ?     It  is 

D  %. 


■  si 


r 


40 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


plainly  unprecedented  and  impofUble.  As,  there- 
fore, all  human  means  of  fuccefs  were  againft 
them,  what  elfe  but  fuper natural  means  were  left 
for  them  ?  It  is  clear  almoft  to  demonftration, 
that  they  muft  have  been  endowed  with  thofe  mi- 
raculous powers,  and  favoured  with  that  divine 
jvlliftance  to  which  they  pretended,  and  which 
of  courfe  proved  them  to  be  the  meflengers  of 
Heaven. 


PROPOSITION    VIII. 


A 


i  ■ 


COMPARISON  BETWEEN  CHRIST  AND 
MAHOMET,  AND  THEIR  RESPECTIVE  RE- 
LIGIONS, LEADS  \JS  TO  CONCLUDE,  THAT 
AS  THE  RELIGION  OF  THE  LATTER  IS 
CONFESSEDLY  THE  INVENTION  OF  MAN, 
THAT  OF  THE  FORMER  IS  DERIVED  FROM 
GOD, 

THERE  is  a  religion  in  the  world,  called  the 
Mahometan,  which  is  profefTed  in  one  part  of  Eu- 
rope, and  moft;  parts  of  Afia  and  Africa.  The 
founder  of  tliis  religion,  Mahomet,  pretended  to 
be  a  prophet  fent  from  God  j  but  it  is  univerfally 
allowed,  by  all  who  are  not  Mahometans,  and 
who  have  fearched  very  carefully  into  the  pre- 
tenfions  of  this  teacher,  that  he  was  an  enthufiaft 
and  an  impoftor,  and  that  his  religion  was  a  con- 
trivance of  his  own.  Even  thofe  perfons  who  re- 
jedl  Chriftianity,  do  not  think  Mahometanifm  to 
be  true  •,  nor  do  we  ever  hear  of  a  Deift  em- 
bracing it  from  conviction. 

Here,  then,  we  have  two  religions  co-exifting 


ef  the  Chrifian  Revelation. 


A\ 


together  in  the  world,  and  both  pretending  to  be 
revelations  from  Heaven  •,  one  of  thefe  we  know 
to  be  a  fraud,  the  other  we  affirm  and  believe  to 
be  true.     If  this  be  fo,  upon  comparing  them  and 
their  authors  together,  we  may  expea  to  find  a 
moft  marked  and  eflential  difference  between  them, 
fuch  a  difference  as  may  naturally  be  fuppofed  to 
exift  between  an  impoftor  and  a  divine  teacher, 
between  truth  and  falfehood.      And  this,  I  appre- 
hend, will  appear  to  be  ac1:ually  the  cafe  with  rc- 
fpea  to  Chrift  and  Mahomet,  and  their  refpeaive 

religions. 

Mahomet  was  a  man  of  confiderable  rank  in  his 
own  country ;  he  was  the  grandfon  of  a  man  of 
the  moft  powerful  and  honourable  family  in  Mec- 
ca, and,  though  not  born  to  a  great  fortune,  he 
foon  acquired  one  by  marriage.  Thefe  circum- 
ftances  would  of  themfelves,  without  any  fuper- 
natural  affiftance,  greatly  contribute  to  the  fuccefs 
of  his  religion.  A  perfon  confiderable  by  his 
wealth,  of  high  dcfcent,  and  nearly  allied  to  the 
chiefs  of  his  country,  taking  upon  himfelf  the  cha- 
raaer  of  a  religious  teacher  in  an  age  of  ignorance 
and  barbarifm,  could  not  fail  of  attraaing  atten- 
tion and  followers. 

Chrift  did  not  poffefs  thefe  advantages  of  rank 
and  wealth,  and  powerful  conneaions.  He  was 
born  of  parents  in  a  very  mean  condition  of  life. 
His  relations  and  friends  were  all  in  the  fame 
humble  fituation  •,  he  was  bred  up  in  poverty,  and 
continued  in  it  all  his  life,  having  frequently  no 
place  where  he  could  lay  his  head.  A  man  fo 
circumftanced  was  not  li-ely,  by  his  own  perfonal 
influence,  to  force  a  nevr  religion,  much  lefs  ^ 
falfe  one,  upon  the  world. 

^  3 


%■• 


.■fT 


42 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


sf  the  Chri/lian  Revelation. 


43 


Mahomet  indulged  himfelf  in  the  grofTeft  plea- 
fures.  He  perpetually  tranfgreiTed  even  thofe  li- 
centious rules  which  he  had  prefcribed  to  himfelf. 
He  made  ufc  of  the  power  he  had  acquired,  to 
gratify  his  pafRons  without  controul,  and  he  laid 
claim  to  a  fpecial  permiffion  from  heaven  to  riot 
in  the  mofl  unlimited  fenfuality. 

Jefus,  on  the  contrary,  preferved  throughout 
life  the  mofl:  unblemiftied  purity  and  fanftity  of 
manners.  He  did  no  iln,  but  was  perfectly  holy 
and  undefiled.  Not  the  leaft:  flam  was  ever 
thrown  on  his  moral  character  by  his  bittereft 
enemies. 

Mahomet  was  violent,  impetuous,  and  fanguinary. 

Chrift  was  meek,  gentle,  benevolent,  and  mer- 
ciful. 

Mahomet  pretended  to  have  fecret  communica- 
tions with  God,  and  with  the  angel  Gabriel,  which 
no  other  perfon  ever  faw  or  heard. 

Jefus  was  repeatedly  declared  to  be  the  Son  of 
God  by  voices  from  heaven,  which  were  plainly 
and  diftin«Sl:ly  heard  and  recorded  by  others. 

The  appearance  of  Mahomet  was  not  foretold 
by  any  ancient  prophecies,  nor  was  there  at  the 
time  any  expe«Slation  of  fuch  a  perfon  in  that  part 
of  the  world. 

The  appearance  of  Chriil  upon  earth  was  clearly 
and  repeatedly  predicted  by  feveral  ancient  prophe- 
cies, which  moft  evidently  applied  to  him  and  to 
no  other  ;  and  which  were  in  the  keeping  of  thofe 
who  were  profelfed  enemies  to  him  and  his  religion. 
And  there  was  at  the  time  of  his  birtji  a  general 
expedlation  over  all  the  Eaft,  that  fome  great  and 
extraordinary  perfonage  would  then  manifeft  him- 
felf to  the  world. 


Mahomet  never  prefumed  to  foretel  any  future 
events,  for  this  plain  reafon,  becaufe  he  could 
not  forefee  them ;  and  had  he  foretold  any  thing 
which  did  not  come  to  pafs,  it  muft  have  entirely 
ruined  his  credit  with  his  followers. 

Chrift  foretold  many  things  which  did  actually 
come  to  pafs,  particularly  his  own  death  and  re- 
furredtion,  and  the  deftrudtion  of  Jerufalem. 

Mahomet  never  pretended  to  work  miracles  ; 
on  the  contrary,  he  exprefsly  difclaimed  any  fuch 
power,  and  makes  feveral  laboured  and  awkward 
apologies  for  not  pofTeffing  it. 

Jefus,  we  all  know,  worked  a  great  number  of 
the  mod:  aftonifliing  miracles  in  the  open  face  of 
day,  and  in  the  fight  of  great  multitudes  of  people. 
He  made  the  deaf  to  hear,  the  dumb  to  fpeak,  the 
lame  to  walk,  the  blind  to  fee,  and  even  the  dead 
to  rife  from  the  grave. 

Mahomet,  during  the  firft  twelve  years  of  his 
miflion,  made  ufe  only  of  argument  and  perfuafion, 
and  in  confequence  of  that  gained  very  few  con- 
verts. In  three  years  he  made  only  fourteen  pro- 
fclytes,  and  in  feven  only  eighty-three  men  and 
eighteen  women. 

In  the  fame  fpace  of  time  our  Saviour  and  his 
apoftles  converted  thoufands  and  tens  of  thoufands, 
and  fpread  the  Chriflian  Religion  over  a  great  part 
of  Afia. 

Mahomet  told  the  Jews,  the  Chriftians,  and  the 
Arabs,  that  he  taught  no  other  religion  than  that 
which  was  originally  taught  to  their  forefathers,  by 
Abraham,  Ifmael,  Mofes,  and  Jefus.  This  would 
naturally  prejudice  them  in  favour  of  his  religion. 

Chrift  preached  a  religion  which  dire(Sl:ly  oppof- 
cd  the  moft  favourite  opinions  and   prejudices  of 


f  i  '11 


44 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


of  the  Chrijlian  Revelation. 


45 


•i  J 


tlie  Jews,  and  fub verted,  from  the  very  founda- 
tion, the  whole  fyftem  of  Pagan  fuperftition. 

Mahomet  paid  court  to  the  peculiar  weaknefles 
and  propeniities  of  his  difciples.  In  that  warm 
climate,  where  all  the  paffions  are  ardent  and  vio- 
lent, he  allowed  them  a  liberal  indulgence  in  fen- 
fual  gratifications  :  no  lefs  than  four  wives  to  each 
of  his  followers,  with  the  liberty  of  divorcing  them 
thrice.* 

In  the  fame  climate,  and  among  men  of  the 
fame  ftrong  paflions,  Jcfus  mod  peremptorily  re- 
ftrained  all  his  followers  from  adultery,  fornication, 
and  every  kind  of  impurity.  He  confined  them 
to  one  wife,  and  forbade  divorce,  except  for  adult- 
ery only.  But  what  was  ftill  more,  he  required 
them  to  govern  their  eyes  and  their  thoughts,  and 
to  check  the  very  firft  rifing  of  any  criminal  defire 
in  the  foul.  He  told  them,  that  whoever  looked 
upon  a  woman,  to  luft  after  her,  had  committed 
adultery  with  her  already  in  his  heart  ;  and  he  af- 
fured  them,  that  none  but  the  pure  in  heart  fhould 
fee  God.  He  declared  open  war,  in  fhort,  againfk 
all  the  criminal  paflions,  and  evil  inclinations  of 
mankind,  and  exprefsly  required  all  his  followers 
to  renounce  thofe  favourite  fins  that  did  moft  eafily 
bcfet  them  ;  nay,  even  to  leave  father,  mother, 
brethren,  fifters,  houfes,  lands,  and  every  thing 
that  was  moft  dear  to  them,  and  take  up  their  crofs 
and  follow  him. 

With  the  fame  view  above-mentioned  of  bribing 
men  to  embrace  his  religion,  Mahomet  promifed 
to  reward  his  followers  with  the  delights  of  a  moil 
voluptuous  paradife,  where  the  objects  of  their  af- 

*  Koran  c,  4.  p.  4i.    lb.  c.  a.  p.  4'» 


fe^lion  were  to  be  almoft  innumerable,  and  all  of 
them  gifted  with  tranfcendent  beauty  and  eternal 
youth.* 

Chrift  entirely  precluded  his  difciples  from  all 
hopes  of  fenfual  indulgences  hereafter,  afluring 
them  that  in  heaven  they  ihould  neither  marry  nor 
be  given  in  marriage,  and  promifing  them  nothing 
but  pure,  celeftial,  fpiritual  joys,  fuch  as  eye  hath 
not  feen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  the  heart  of  man  con- 
ceived. 

Befides  the  powerful  attra(flions  of  fenfual  de- 
liahts,  Mahomet  had  another  ftill  more  efficacious 
mode  of  producing  conviction,  and  gaining  pro- 
felytes  •,  and  that  was,  force,  violence,  and  arms. 
He  propagated  his  religion  by  the  fword  ;  and,  till 
he  made  ufe  of  that  inftrument  of  converfion,  the 
number  of  his  profelytes  was  a  mere  nothing.  He 
was  at  once  a  prophet,  a  warrior,  a  general,  and  a 
conqueror.  It  was  at  the  head  of  his  armies  that 
he  preached  the  Koran.  His  religion  and  his  con- 
quefts  went  on  together ;  and  the  former  never 
advanced  one  ftep  without  the  latter.  He  com- 
manded in  perfon  in  eight  general  engagements, 
and  undertook,  by  himfelf  and  his  lieutenants,  fifty 
military  enterprizes.  Death  or  converfion  was  the 
only  choice  offered  to  idolaters,  and  tribute  or  con- 
verfion to  Jews  and  Chriftians. 

Jefus  employed  no  other  means  of  converting 
men  to  his  religion,  but  perfuafion,  argument,  ex- 
hortation, miracles,  and  prophecies.  He  made  ufe 
of  no  other  force  but  the  force  of  truth  •,  no  other 
fword  but  the  fword  of  the  fpirit,  that  is,  the 
word  of  God.     He  had  no  arms,  no  legions  to 

♦  Koran,  c.  56.  p.  413- 


46 


On  the  Truth  and  Dlv'nie  Origin 


cf  the  Chrijlian  Revelation* 


47 


fight  his  caufe.  He  was  the  prince  of  peace,  and 
preached  peace  to  all  the  world.  Without  power^ 
without  fupport,  without  any  followers  but  twelve 
poor  humble  men,  without  one  circumflance  of  at- 
tra<^ion,  influence,  or  compulfion,  he  triumphed 
over  the  prejudices,  the  learning,  the  religion  of 
his  country  ;  over  the  ancient  rites,  idolatry,  and 
fuperftition ;  over  the  philofophy,  wifdom,  and 
authority  of  the  whole  Roman  empire. 

The  great  cbjcdt  of  Mahomet  was  to  make  his 
followers  foldiers,  and  to  infpire  them  with  a  paf- 
iion  for  violence,  bloodfhcd,  vengeance,  and  per- 
fecution.  He  was  continually  exhorting  them  to 
fight  for  the  religion  of  God  ;  and,  to  encourage 
them  to  do  fo,  he  promifed  them  the  higheft  ho- 
nours, and  the  richeft  rewards,  in  paradife.  **  They 
who  have  fuftered  for  my  fake,  and  have  been  flain 
in  battle,  verily  I  will  expiate  their  evil  deeds  from 
them,  and  I  will  furely  bring  them  into  a  garden 
watered  by  rivers,  a  reward  from  God,  and  with 
God  is  moft  excellent  reward."f  This  duty  of 
warring  againft  infickls  is  frec[uently  inculcated  in 
the  Koran,  and  highly  magnified  by  the  Mahomcd- 
an  divines,  who  call  the  fword  the  key  of  heaven 
and  hel/y  and  periuade  their  people  that  the  leaft 
drop  of  blood  fpilt  in  the  way  of  God,  as  it  is  cal- 
led, is  moft  acceptable  unto  him  ;  and  that  the 
defending  the  territories  of  the  Moflems  for  one 
night,  is  of  more  avail  than  a  faft  of  two  months.* 
It  is  eafy  to  fee  to  what  a  degree  of  fiercenefs  this 
muft  raife  all  the  furious  vindictive  paflions  of  the 
foul,  and  what  a  horde  of  favages  and  barbarians 
it  mufl  let  loofe  upon  mankind. 

f  Koran,  ch.  3.  p.  91.  and  c.  9.  p.  242. 
•  Sale's  Prelim.  DilT.  L  11.  p.  189. 


The  directions  of  Chrift  to  his  difciples  were  of 
a  different  temper.  He  pofitively  forbade  them 
the  ufe  of  any  violence  whatever.  The  fword  that 
was  drawn  by  one  of  them  in  his  defence  he  or- 
dered to  be  (heathed  :  "  Put  up  thy  fword  within 
the  ilieath  ;  they  that  ufe  the  fword  ihall  perifh 
by  the  fword.^f  He  would  not  confent  to  bring 
down  fire  from  Heaven  on  the  Samaritans,  who 
had  refiifed  to  receive  him  :  "  The  Son  of  man," 
he  told  them,  "  came  not  to  dellroy  men's  lives, 
but  to  fave  them.  Peace  I  leave  with  you  ;  my 
peace  I  give  unto  you.  Do  violence  to  no  man  ; 
refifl:  not  evil.  Be  ye  merciful,  even  as  your  Father 
in  Heaven  is  merciful.  Blefl^ed  are  the  merciful, 
for  they  fhall  obtain  mercy."* 

The  confequence  was,  that  the  firft  followers  of 
Mahomet  were  men  of  cruelty  and  violence,  living 
by  rapine,  murder,  and  plunder.  The  firil:  fol- 
lowers of  Jefus  were  men  of  meek,  quiet,  inoflfen- 
five,  peaceable  manners,  and  in  their  moi-als  irre- 
proachable and  exemplary. 

If  now,  after  comparing  together  the  authors 
of  the  two  religions  we  have  been  confidering,  wc 
take  a  fliort  view  of  the  facred  books  of  thofe  re- 
ligions,  the  Koran  and  the  Gofpel,  we  fliall  find  a 
difference  no  lefs  ftriking  between  them  ;  no  lefs 
ftrongly  marking  the  truth  of  the  one  and  the  falfe- 
hood  of  the  other. 

The  Koran  is  highly  applauded,  both  by  Ma- 
homet himfelf  and  his  followers,  for  the  exquifitc 
beauty,  purity,  and  elegance  of  the  language,  which 
they  reprefent  as  a  ftanding  miracle,   greater  than 

f  Matt.  xxvi.  52  ;  John  xviil.  11. 
*  Luke  ix.  56  ;  Jcilin  xiv.  27  ;  Luke  iii.  14 ;  Matt.  v.  59  ;  Luke 
▼L  36  ;  Mat.  v.  7. 


!p|:^ 


Sy  .JMgSWaiJte!  «»fcaftMtf<*PtriliatfiiL4ni»i^^  ittet^miiti^  "aSt- 


48 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


of  the  Chrijlian  Revelation, 


49 


even  that  of  raifing  the  dead.     But  admitting  its 
excellence  (which  yet  has  been  queftioned  by  feve- 
ral  learned  men)  if  beauty  of  ftyle  and  compofition 
is  to  be  confidered  as  a  proof  of  divine  infpiration, 
the  writings  of  Plato  and  Xenophon,  of  Cicero  and 
Caefar,  and   a  multitude  of  other  inimitable  wri- 
ters in  various  languages,  will  have  as  juft  a  claim 
to  a  miraculous  origin  as  the  Koran.    But  in  truth, 
thefe  graces  of  di(^ion,  fo  far  from  being  a  circum- 
ilance  favourable  to  the  Koran,  create  a  ftrong  fuf- 
picion  of  its  being  a  human  fabrication,  calculated 
to  charm  and  captivate  men  by  the  arts  of  rhetoric 
and  the   fafcination  of  words,   and  thus  draw  off 
their  attention  from  the  futility  of  its  matter,  and 
the  wcaknefs  of  its  pretenfions.      Thefe  are  the 
artifices    of  fraud    and    falfehood.       The    Gofpel 
wants  them  not.     It  difdains  the  aid  of  human 
eloquence,   and   depends   folely  on   the   force   of 
truth  and  the  power  of  God  for  its  fuccefs.      **  I 
came  not  (as  St.  Paul  fublimely  exprefles  himfelf ) 
with  excellency  of  fpeech,  nor  with  the  enticing 
words  of  man's  wifdom,  but  in  demonftration  of 
the  fpirit  and  of  power,  that  your  faith  might  not 
ftand  in  the  wifdom  of  men,  but  in  the  power  of 
God."* 

But,  whatever  may  be  the  purity  of  the  language, 
the  matter  and  fubftance  of  the  Ko^;an  cannot  bear 
a.  moment's  comparifon  with  that  of  the  Gofpel. 
The  narrative  is  dull,  heavy,  monotonous,  uninte- 
refling  •,  loaded  with  endlefs  repetitions,  with  fenfe- 
lefs  and  prcpofterous  fables,  with  trivial,  difgufting, 
and  even  immoral  precepts.  Add  to  this,  that  it 
kas  very  little  novelty  or  originality  to  recommend 

•  I  Cor.  ii.  I,  4,  /. 


rt,  the  moft  material  parts  of  it  being  borrowed 
from  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Teftament  or  the 
New  *,  and  even  thefe  are  fo  difguifed  and  deform- 
ed by  pafllng  through  the  hands  of  the  impoflor, 
(who  vitiates  and  dcbafes  every  thing  he  touches) 
that  you  can  hardly  know  them  to  be  the  fame 
incidents  or  tranfadlions  that  you  read  with  {o 
much  delight  in  the  Bible. 

The  Gofpel,  on  the  contrary.  Is  every  where 
concife,  fimple,  original,  animated,  interefling, 
Signified  *,  its  precepts  important,  its  morality  per- 
fect, its  fcntiments  fublime,  its  views  noble  and 
comprehcnfive,  its  fandlions  awful. 

In  the  Koran,  Mahomet  is  perpetually  boaftlng 
of  his  own  merits  and  achievements,  and  the  fu- 
preme  excellence  of  his  book.  In.  the  Gofpel,  no 
encomiums  are  beftowed  by  the  Evangelifts,  either 
on  themfclves  or  their  writings.  Even  the  vir- 
tues of  their  divine  Mafter  arc  not  diilindlly  fpe- 
cified,  or  brought  forward  into  a  confpicuous  point 
of  view.  It  is  from  his  adtlons  onlv,  and  his  dif^ 
courfes,  not  from  the  obfervations  of  his  hiftori- 
ans,  that  we  can  colledl  the  various  tranfcendent 
excellencies  of  his  chara£lcr.  Here  we  plainly  fee 
the  fobcr  modcfiy  of  truth  oppofed  to  the  oflen- 
tatious  vanity  of  impoflure. 

In  the  defcription  of  future  rewards  and  punifli- 
mcnts,  the  Koran  is  minute,  circumftantial,  and 
extravagant,  both  in  painting  the  horrors  of  the 
one  and  the  delights  of  the  other.  It  defcribcs 
things  which  cannot,  and  ought  not  to  be  dc- 
fcribed,  and  enters  into  details  too  horrible,  or  too 
licentious,  to  be  prefented  to  the  human  mind. 

In  the  Gofpel  tlie  pains  and  the  pleafures  of  a 
future  life  are  rcprefented  concifely,  in  flrong,  but 

£ 


i!|;ii 


5» 


On  the  ^ruth  and  Divine  Origin 


of  the  Chrijlian  Revelation, 


SI 


general  and  indefinite  terms,  fufiicient  to  give  them 
a  powerful,  but  not  an  overwhelming  influence 
over  the  mind. 

There  is  flill  another,  and  a  very  material  mark 
of  difcrimination  between  the  Koran  and  the  Gof- 
pel.  Mahomet  (hows  throughout  the  utmoft  anxi- 
ety to  guard  agalnft  obje<Slions,  to  account  for  his 
working  no  miracles,  and  to  defend  his  conduct, 
in  feveral  inftances,  againfi:  the  charges  which  he 
fufpe<fiS  may  be  brought  againfi  him.  This  is  al- 
ways the  cafe  with  impofture.  It  is  always  fufpi- 
cious,  afraid  of  being  dete£led,  alive  to  every  ap- 
pearance of  hoftility,  folicitous  to  anticipate,  and 
eager  to  repel  the  accufations  of  enemies. 

Truth  has  no  occafion  for  fuch  precautions, 
and  therefore  never  ufes  them.  We  fee  nothing 
of  this  fort  in  the  Gofpel.  The  facred  hiflorians 
fliow  not  the  fmallefl  folicitude,  nor  take  the  leafl 
pains  to  obviate  cavils  or  remove  diliicultics. 
They  relate  plainly  and  funply  what  they  know 
to  be  true.  They  entertain  no  doubt  of  it  them- 
felves,  and  feem  to  have  no  fufpicion  that  any  one 
elfe  can  doubt  it ;  they  therefore  leave  the  fa-Its  to 
fpcak  for  themfelves,  and  fond  them  unprote<Slcd 
into  the  world,  to  make  their  way  (as  they  have 
done)  by  their  own  native  force  and  incontrover- 
tible truth. 

Such  are  the  leading  features  of  Mahomet  and 
his  religion  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  Chrift  and 
his  religion  on  the  other  ;  and  never  was  there  a 
ftronger  or  more  flrikinf^  contrafl  fecn  than  in  this 
inftance.  They  arc,  in  fhort,  in  every  cllcntial 
article,  the  direct  oppolites  of  each  other.  And 
as  it  is  on  all  hands  acknowlcdped  that  Mahomet 
was  an  impoflor,  it  is  fair  to  conclude  that  Chrifl, 


who  was  the  very  reverfe  of  Mahomet,  was  the 
reverfe  of  an  impoftor,  that  is,  a  real  melTenger 
from  heaven.  In  Mahomet  we  fee  every  dif^ 
tiniflive  mark  of  fraud  ;  in  Jefus,  not  one  of  thcfe 
is  to  be  found  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  every  pofli- 
ble  indication  and  character  of  truth. 


T 


PROPOSITION    IX. 


HE    PREDICTIONS     DELIVERED    BY    THE 


ANCIENT  PROPHETS,  AND  FULFILLED  IN 
OUR  SAVIOUR,  SHOW  THAT  HE  WAS  THE 
MESSIAH  EXPECTED  BY  THE  JEWS, 
AND  THAT  HE  CAME  INTO  THE  WORLD 
BY  DIVINE  APPOINTMENT,  TO  BE  THE 
GREAT  DELIVERER  AND  REDEEMER  OF 
MANKIND. 

THE  word  Messiah  fignfBes  anointed;  that 
is,  a  perfon  appointed  to  fome  high  flation,  dig- 
nity, or  office  j  becaufe  originally  among  the  eaf- 
tcrn  nations  men  fo  appointed  (particularly  kings, 
priefls,  and  prophets)  were  anointed  \Vlth  oil. 
Hence  the  word  Meffiah  means  the  perfon  pre- 
ordained and  appointed  by  God  to  be  the  great 
deliverer  of  the  Jevi^ifh  nation,  and  the  Redeemer 
of  all  mankind.  The  word  Christ  means  the 
fame  thing. 

Now  it  was  foretold  concerning  the  Mefiiah, 
that  he  fhould  come  before  the  fccptre  departed 
from  Judah,  that  is,  before  the  Jewiili  government 
was  deflroyed  j*  and  accordingly  Chrift  appeared; 

^  Gen.  xlix.  lo. 
E  Z. 


ii 


11 


52 


On  the  Truth  atid  Divine  Origin 


cf  the  Chrijlian  "Revelation, 


53 


(C 


C( 


a  fhort  time  before  the  period  when  the  Jewi/Ii 
government  was  totally  overthrown  by  the  Ro- 
mans. 

It  was  foretold,  that  he  fhould  come  before  the 
deflcuclion  of  the  fccond  temple.  "  The  delire 
*'  of  all  nations   iliall  come,    and  I  will  lill  this 

houfe  with  glory,  faith  the  Lord  of  Hofts  ;  the 

glory  of  this  latter  houfe  fliall  be  greater  than 
**  of  the  former."*  Accordingly  Chrift  appeared 
fome  time  before  the  deftrucTlion  of  the  city  and 
the  temple  cf  Jerufalem  by  the  E.cmans. 

It  v/as  foretold  by  the  Prophet  Daniel,  that  he 
fhould  come  at  the  end  of  490  years  after  the  re- 
building of  Jerufalem,  which  had  been  laid  wafte 
during  the  captivity  of  the  Jews  in  Babylon,  and 
that  he  fliould  be  cut  off;  and  that  afterwards  the 
city  and  faniStuary  of  Jerufalem  fhould  be  deftroy- 
ed  and  made  defolate.f  And  accordingly,  at  what 
time  foever  the  beginning  of  the  490  years  can, 
according  to  any  fllir  interpretation  of  the  words, 
be  jBxed,  the  end  of  them  will  fall  about  the  time 
of  Chrift's  appearing  :  and  it  is  well  known  how 
entirely  the  city  and  fan(Stuary  were  deftroyed  by 
the  R.omans  fome  years  after  he  was  cut  off  and 
cruciiled. 

It  was  foretold,  that  he  fhould  perform  many 
great  and  beneficial  miracles  \  that  the  eyes  of  the 
blind  fhould  be  opened,  and  the  cars  of  the  deaf  un- 
ftopped  ;  that  the  lame  man  Ihould  leap  as  a  hart, 
and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  fing  \\  and  this  we 
know  was  literally  fulfilled  in  the  miracles  of 
Chrift;  the  blind  received  their  fight,  the  lame 
walked,  the  deaf  heard, 

*  Haggal,  ii.  7.  9.        f  Dan.  Ix.  26.        \  Ifalah,  xxxv.  5. 


It  was  foretold,  that  he  fhould  die  a  violerrt 
death  •,  that  he  fliould  be  wounded  fur  our  tranf- 
greffions,  and  bruifed  for  our  iniquities  j  that  the 
chaftifement  of  our  peace  ihould  be  upon  him  ; 
and  that  with  his  ftripes  we  fliould  be  healed  ; 
that  God  would  lay  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.* 
All  which  was  exatftly  accomplifhcd  in  the  fuffjr- 
ings  of  Chrift,  "  who  died  for  our  fins,  the  Juft 
for  the  unjuft,  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God."f 

It  was  foretold,  that  to  him  ihould  the  gather- 
ing of  the  people  be  ;  and  that  God  would  give 
him  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance,  and  the  ut- 
moil:  parts  of  the  earth  for  his  poffefiion,f  which 
was  punctually  fulfilled  by  the  wonderful  fuccefs  of 
the  Gofpel,  and  its  univerfal  propagation  through- 
out the  world. 

Laftly,  many  minuter  circumftances  were  told 
of  the  great  Deliverer,  or  Redeemer,  that  was  to 
come. 

That  he  fhould  be  born  or  a  virgin  ;  that  he 
fhould  be  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  and  the  feed  of 
David  ;  that  he  fhould  be  born  in  the  town  of 
Bethlehem  ;  that  he  fhould  ride  upon  an  afs  in 
humble  triumph  into  the  city  of  Jerufalem  ;  that 
he  fliould  be  a  man  of  forrows,  and  acquainted 
with  grief;  that  he  fliould  be  fold  for  thirty  pieces 
of  filver;  that  he  fliould  be  fcourged,  bufteted, 
and  fpit  upon  ;  that  he  fliould  be  numbered  with 
the  tranfgreffors  (that  is,  fliould  be  crucified,  as 
he  was,  between  two  thieves ;)  that  he  fliould 
have  gall  and  vinegar  given  him  to  drink ;  that 
they  who  faw  him  crucified   fliould  mock  at  him. 


*  Ifalah,  Ilii.  tliroughout,  and  Dan.  ix.  ij^, 

\  Pfalm,  ii.  8. 

E  3 


f  I  Pet.  iii.  18. 


i./'' 


j...~i«...juas..;jif  ...J.  i:,gijyjff»- .-^-t. jg  'J"'-.iftMftiW»aii*ftLj->j^jaka*Bb^j,^-.j!j8mA«ji?v 


52 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


cf  the  Chrljllan  Reve/allcn. 


53 


a  fhort  time  before  the  period  when  the  Jewifli 
government  was  totally  overthrown  by  the  Ro* 
mans. 

It  was  foretold,  that  he  fhould  come  before  the 
deflruclion  of  the  fccand  temple.  "  Tlie  deflre 
*'  of  all  nations  fliall  come,  and  I  will  lill  this 
•*  houfe  with  glory,  faith  the  Lord  of  Hofts ;  the 
**  glory  of  this  latter  houfe  fliall  be  greater  than 
**  of  the  former."*  Accordingly  Chrifi:  appeared 
fome  time  before  the  deflrucTtion  of  the  city  csid 
the  temple  cf  Jerufalem  by  the  R-cmans. 

It  v/as  foretold  by  the  Prophet  Daniel,  that  he 
fhould  come  at  the  end  of  490  years  after  the  re- 
building of  Jerufalem,  which  had  been  laid  wafte 
during  the  captivity  of  the  Jews  in  Babylon,  and 
that  he  fliould  be  cut  off;  and  that  afterwards  the 
city  and  fan(ftuary  of  Jerufalem  fhould  be  deftroy- 
ed  and  made  defolate.f  And  accordingly,  at  what 
time  foever  the  beginning  of  the  490  years  can, 
according  to  any  fSir  interpretation  of  the  words, 
be  fixed,  the  end  of  them  will  fall  about  the  time 
of  Chrill*s  appearing  :  and  it  is  well  known  how 
entirely  the  city  and  fan<Sluary  were  deflroyed  by 
the  Romans  f^jme  years  after  he  was  cut  off  and 
crucified. 

It  was  foretold,  that  he  fhould  perform  many 
great  and  beneficial  miracles  *,  that  the  eyes  of  the 
blind  fhould  be  opened,  and  the  cars  of  the  deaf  un- 
flopped  ;  that  the  lame  man  Ihould  leap  as  a  hart, 
and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  fing  jj  and  this  we 
know  was  literally  fulfilled  in  the  miracles  of 
Chrift ;  the  blind  received  their  fight,  the  lame 
walked,  the  deaf  heard. 

*  Haggai,  ii.  ;.  9.        f  Dan.  Ix.  26.        |  Ifalah,  xxxv.  5. 


It  was  foretold,  that  he  fhould  die  a  violent 
death  •,  that  he  fhould  be  wounded  for  our  tranf^ 
grcffions,  and  bruifcd  for  our  iniquities  ;  that  the 
chaftifement  of  our  peace  ihouUl  be  upon  him  ; 
and  that  with  his  ftripes  we  fliould  be  healed  ; 
that  God  would  lay  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.* 
All  which  was  exadlly  accomplifhed  in  the  fuffcr- 
ings  of  Chrifi:,  "  who  died  for  our  fins,  the  Jud 
for  the  unjufi:,  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God."f 

It  was  foretold,  that  to  him  Ihould  the  rather- 
ing  of  the  people  be ;  and  that  God  would  give 
him  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance,  and  the  ut- 
mofi:  parts  of  the  earth  for  his  poflefiion,  f  which 
was  punctually  fulfilled  by  the  wonderful  fuccefs  of 
the  Gofpel,  and  its  univerfal  propagation  through- 
out the  world. 

Lafi:ly,  many  minuter  circumfiances  were  told 
of  the  great  Deliverer,  or  Redeemer,  that  was  to 
come. 

That  he  fhould  be  born  oF  a  virgin ;  that  he 
fhould  be  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  and  the  feed  of 
David  ;  that  he  fiiould  be  born  in  the  town  of 
Bethlehem  ;  that  he  fhould  ride  upon  an  afs  in 
humble  triumph  into  the  city  of  Jerufalem  ;  that 
he  fliould  be  a  man  of  forrows,  and  acquainted 
with  grief  j  that  he  fiiould  be  fold  for  thirty  pieces 
of  filvcr;  that  he  fliould  be  fcourged,  buffeted, 
and  fpit  upon  ;  that  he  fliould  be  numbered  with 
the  tranfgrcffors  (that  is,  fliould  be  crucified,  as 
he  was,  between  two  thieves ;)  that  he  fliould 
have  gall  and  vinegar  given  him  to  drink ;  that 
they  who  faw  him  crucified   fliould  mock  at  him. 


*  Ilaiah,  lUL  tliroughout,  and  Dan.  ix.  7^, 

J  Pfalm,  ii.  8. 

E  3 


f  I  Pet.  ill.  18. 


J 


III 


54 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


and  at  his  trufting  in  God  to  deliver  him  ;  that 
the  foldiers  fhould  caft  lots  for  his  garments  ;  that 
he  fhould  make  his  grave  with  the  rich ;  and  that 
he  fhould  rife  again  without  feeing  corruption.* 
All  thefe  circumfi:ances,  it  is  well  known,  were 
foretold,  and,  to  the  greatefi:  poflible  cxadtnefs, 
fulfilled,  in  the  perfon  of  Chrift. 

What  now  lliall  we  fay  to  thefe  things  ?  Here 
are  upwards  of  twenty  difFercnt  particulars,  many 
of  them  of  a  very  extraordinary  nature,  which,  it 
was  foretold,  700  years  before  our  Saviour  was 
born,  would  all  meet  in  him,  and  which  did  all  ac- 
tually meet  in  his  perfon.  Is  not  this  a  mofl  extra- 
ordinary confideration  ?  There  are  but  three  pof^ 
fible  fuppofitions  that  can  be  made  concerning  it : 
either  that  this  was  a  mere  fortuitous  coincidence, 
ariiing  entirely  from  chance  and  accident,  or  that 
thefe  prophecies  were  written  after  the  events  had 
taken  place  -,  or  laflly,  that  they  were  real  predic- 
tions, delivered  mftiy  years  before  thefe  events 
came  to  pafs,  and  all  fulfilled  in  Chrift.  That  any 
one  fhould  by  chance  hit  upon  fo  many  things, 
which  fliould  all  prove  true,  and  prove  true  con- 
cerniniT  one  and  the  fame  perfon,  though  feveral 
of  them  were  of  fuch  a  nature  as  were  unlikely  to 
happen ^w^/v,  and  by  far  the  greateft  part  of  which 
had  never  before  happened  fingly,  to  any  perfon 
ivhatever  ;  this,  I  fay,  exceeds  all  bounds  of  cre- 
dibility, and  all  power  of  conje(5lure  or  calculation. 

That  thefe  prophecies  were  not  written  or  deli- 
vered after  the  things  predicted   had  happened  is 


*  Ifai.-ih,  vii.  14  ;  Mich.  v.  Zech.  ix.  9  ;  Ifalah,  liii.  3.  Zech.  xi. 
12 ;  Ifaiali,  1.  6 ;  Ifaiah,  liii.  12  ;  Pfalin  Ixix.  32  ;  Pfalm  xxiv.  7.  i8  ; 
Ifalah,  liii.  9  ;  Pfalm  xvL  lo. 


cf  the  Chrijlian  Revelation, 


55 


moft  certain ;  becaufe  they  are  found  in  books 
which  exifled  long  before  thofe  events  came  to 
pafs,  that  is,  in  the  Books  of  the  Old  Teftament ; 
and  the  Jews  themfelves,  the  mortal  enemies  of 
Chrift  and  his  religion,  acknowledge  that  thefe 
prophecies  were  in  thofe  Books  exactly  as  we  now 
fee  them  many  hundred  years  before  Chrift  came 
into  the  world. 

The  books  themfelves  were  in  their  own  keep- 
ing, in  the  keeping  of  our  adverfaries,  who  would 
undoubtedly  take  effectual  care  that  nothing  fa- 
vourable to  Chrift  fliould  be  fraudulently  inferted 
into  them.  The  Jews  were  our  librarians.  The 
prophecies  were  in  their  cuftody,  and  are  read  in 
all  their  copies  of  the  Old  Teftament  as  well  as  in 
ours.  They  have  made  many  attempts  to  explain 
them  away,  but  none  to  qucftion  their  authenticity. 

It  remains  then  that  thefe  are  all  real  predic- 
tions, all  centering  in  our  Saviour,  and  in  him  only, 
and  delivered  many  centuries  before  he  was  born. 
As  no  one  but  God  has  the  foreknowledge  of 
events,  it  is  from  him  thefe  prophecies  muft  have 
proceeded  ;  and  they  fhew,  of  courfe,  that  Chrift 
was  the  perfon  whom  he  had  for  a  great  length  of 
time  predetermined  to  fend  into  the  world  to  be 
the  great  Deliverer,  Redeemer,  and  Saviour  of 
mankind. 


PROPOSITION    X. 


1  HE  PROPHECIES  DELIVERED  BY  OUR 
SAVIOUR  HIMSELF,  PROVE  THAT  HE  WAS 
ENDUED    WITH  THE   FOREKNOWLEDGE  OF 


<H 


^  11 


M 


h«w&V.i.-J 


5<5 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


cf  the  Chrijllan  Revelation, 


57 


FUTURE  EVENTS;  WHICH  BELONGS  ONLY 
TO  GOD,  AND  TO  TIlOiE  INSPIRED  BY 
HIM. 

HE  did  very  particularly,  and  at  feveral  differ- 
ent times,  foretcl  his  own  death,  and  the  circum- 
ftanccs  of  it :  that  the  chief  priefts  and  fcribes 
ihould  condemn  him  to  death,  and  deliver  him  to 
the  Gentiles,  that  is  to  Pilate  and  the  Roman  fol- 
diers,  to  mock,  and  fcourge,  and  crucify  him  ; 
that  he  fhould  be  betraved  into  their  hands  ;  that 
Judas  Ifcariot  was  the  perfon  who  Oiould  betray 
him  5  that  all  his  difciples  would  forfake  him,  and 
flee  *,  and  that  Peter  would  particularly  thrice  deny 
him  in  one  night.  He  foretold  further,  that  he 
would  rife  again  the  third  day ;  that,  after  his  af- 
cenfion,  he  would  fend  down  the  Holy  Ghoil:  on 
his  apoftles,  which  fhould  enable  them  to  work 
many  miracles.  He  foretold,  likewife,  many  par- 
ticulars concerning  the  future  fuccefs  of  the  Gof- 
pcl,  and  what  fliould  happen  to  feveral  of  his 
difciples  j  he  foretold  what  oppoiition  and  perfe- 
cution  they  fhould  meet  with  in  their  preaching  ; 
he  foretold  what  particular  kind  of  death  Peter 
iliould  die ;  and  intimated  that  St.  John  fhould 
live  (as  he  did)  till  after  the  deftru^lion  of  Jeru- 
falem  ;  he  foretold  that,  notwithftanding  all  oppo- 
iition and  perfccution,  the  Gofpel  fliould  yet  have 
fuch  fuccefs  as  to  fpread  iticlf  over  the  world  j  and, 
lafily,  he  foretold  the  deftrucllon  of  Jcrufalem, 
with  fuch  very  particular  and  minute  circumftan- 
ces,  in  the  24th  chapter  of  St.  Matthew,  the  13th 
of  St.  Mark,  and  the  2ifl:  of  St.  Luke,  that  no 
one  who  reads  the  defcription  of  that  event,  in  the 
hiftorians  of  thofe  times,  can  have  the  fmalleil: 
doubt  of  our  Saviour's  divine  foreknowledge.    We 


have  a  mofl  authentic,  exa^,  and  circumftantial 
account  of  the  fiege  and  deflruction  of  that  city  by 
the  Romans,  written  by  Jofephus,  a  Jewilh  and 
contemporai7  hiflorian  •,  and  the  defcription  he 
has  given  of  this  terrible  calamity  fo  perfctflly  cor- 
refponds  with  our  Saviour's  prophecy,  that  one 
would  have  thought,  had  we  not  known  the  con- 
trary, that  it  had  been  written  by  a  Chriftian,  on 
purpofe  to  illuflrate  that  predi£lion. 

This  power  of  foretelling  future  events  is  a  plain 
proof  that  Chrifl  came  from  God,  and  was  endued 
with  this  power  from  above. 


PROPOSITION    XI. 


T 


HE  MIRACLES  PERFORMED  BY  OUR 
LORD,  DEMONSTRATE  HIM  TO  HAVE  POS- 
SESSED   DIVINE    POWER. 

ALTHOUGH  the  preceding  propofitions  con- 
tain very  convincing  proofs  of  the  divine  mlflion 
of  Chrift,  and  the  divine  authority  of  his  religion, 
yet,  undoubtedly,  the  ftrongeft  evidence  of  this 
arifes  from  the  wonderful  and  well-attefted  miracles 
which  he  wrought  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  his  miniftry.  He  cured  the  mofl  inveterate 
difeafes  ;  he  made  the  lame  to  walk ;  he  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  blind  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf;  he 
caft  out  devils  •,  he  walked  upon  the  fea ;  he  fed 
five  thoufand  pcrfons  with  a  few  fmall  loaves  and 
fifliesj  and  even  raifed  the  dead  to  life  again. 
Thefe  miracles  were  all  wrought  in  open  day,  in 
the  fight  of  multitudes  of  witnelfos,  who  could  not 
be  impofed  upon  in  things  which  they  faw  plainly 


I  i-i'i 


53  On  the  Trttch  and  Divine  Origin 

with  their  own  eyes,  who  had  an  opportunity  of 
fcrutinizing  them  as  much  as  they  pleafed,  and  who 
did  actually  fcrutinize  them  with  a  moft  critical 
exa£lnefs,  as  appears  from  the  very  remarkable  in- 
ftance  of  the  Wind  man  reftored  to  fight  by  our 
Lord,  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  St.  John,  a  tranf- 
adlion  which  I  recommend  very  earneftly  to  the 
attention  of  my  readers. 

It  is  true,  that  miracles  being  very  unufual  and 
extraordinary  fa£ls,  they  require  very  ftrong  evi- 
dence to  fupport  them  ;  much  ftronger,  it  muft  be 
owned,  than  common  events,  that  are  recorded  in 
hiftory :  and  accordingly  the  miracles  of  Chriil 
have  this  very  ftrong  and  extraordinary  evidence  to 
fupport  them  ;  evidence  fuch  as  is  not  to  be  equal- 
led in  any  other  initance,  and  fuch  as  is  fully 
competent  to  prove  the  reality  of  the  grcatcfl:  mi- 
racle that  ever  was  performed. 

.  Belides  a  multitude  of  other  perfons,  who  were 
cye-witnefTcs  to  thefe  miracles,  and  who  were  ac- 
tually convinced  and  converted  by  them,  there  were 
twelve  perfons,  called  apofllcs,  plain,  honcfl:,  un- 
prejudiced men,  whom  our  Saviour  chofe  to  be  his 
conftant  companions  and  friends,  who  were  almoft 
always  about  his  perfon,  accompanied  him  in  his 
travels,  heard  all  his  difcourfes,  favv  all  his  miracles, 
and  attended  him  through  all  the  dilFercnt  fccnes 
of  his  life,  death,  and  refurredlion,  till  the  time  of 
his  afcenfion  into  Heaven.  Thefe  perfons  were 
perfectly  capable  of  judging  whether  the  works 
which  they  faw  Jefus  perform  were  real  miracles 
or  not  *,  they  could  tell  whether  a  perfon  whom 
they  had  known  to  be  blind  all  his  life  was  fudden- 
ly  rcftored  to  fight  by  our  Saviour's  only  fpeaking 
a  word  or  touching  his  eyes  *,  they  could  tell  whe- 


of  the  Chrijiian  Revelation* 


59 


ther  he  did  actually,  in  open  day-light,  walk  upon 
the  fea  without  finking,  and  without  any  \ifible 
fupport  ;  whether  a  perfon  called  Lazarus,  whom 
they  were  well  acquainted  with,  and  whom  they 
knew  to  have  been  four  days  dead  and  buried,  was 
raifed  to  life  again  merely  by  Chrift  faying,  Lcza- 
17//,   ari/e. 

In  thefe,  and  ether  fa^s  of  this  fort,  they  could 
not  poflibly  be  deceived.  Now  thefe,  and  many 
other  miracles  equally  afionifhing,  they  affirm  that 
they  themfelves  a<SlualIy  faw  performed  by  our  Sa- 
viour. In  confequence  of  this,  from  being  Jews, 
and  of  courfe  fi:rongly  prejudiced  againfi:  Chrift 
and  his  outward  appearance,  which  was  the  very 
reverfe  of  every  thing  they  expelled  in  their  Mef- 
fiah,  they  became  his  difciples  ;  and  en  account  of 
their  converfion,  and  more  particularly  on  account 
of  their  afierting  the  truth  of  his  miracles  and  his 
refurrectlon,  they  endured  for  a  long  courfe  of 
years  the  fevcrefi:  labours,  hardfhips,  fufierings, 
and  perfccuticn,  that  human  nature  could  be  ex- 
pofed  to,  and  at  la  ft  fubmitted  to  the  moft  cruel 
and  excruciating  deaths ;  all  which  they  might 
cafily  have  avoided,  if  tliey  would  only  have  faid 
that  Chrifi:  was  not  the  Son  of  God,  that  he  never 
worked  any  miracles,  and  never  rofe  from  the 
dead.  Yet  this  they  refufed  to  fay,  and  were  con- 
tent to  die  rather  than  fay  it.* 

Is  not  this  giving  the  firongeft  proof  of  their 
fincerity,  and  of  the  reality  of  Chrift's  miracles, 
that  human  nature  and  human  teftimony  arc  capa- 
ble of  giving.     The  concurrent  and  uncontradi<Sled 

*  No  man  ever  laid  down  his  Hfe  for  tlie  honour  of  Jup.ter,  Nep- 
tune, or  Apollo  ;  but  how  many  thoufands  have  fcaled  their  Chrillian 
teilimony  w  ith  tuclr  blood  ?     Bjaiiict  v.  a. 


H 


"■m 


4o 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


i»f  the  Chrijiian  Revel  at  li^ti. 


6i 


teftimony  of  twelve  fuch  witnefles  is,  according  to 
all  the  rules  of  evidence,  fufEcient  to  eftablifh  the 
truth  of  any  one  fa£l  in  the  world,  however  ex- 
traordinary, however  miraculous. 

If  there  had  been  any  powerful  temptation 
thrown  in  the  way  of  thefe  men  ;  if  they  had  been 
bribed,  like  the  followers  of  Mahomet,  with  fenfual 
indulgences  j  or,  like  Judas  Ifcariot,  with  a  fum  of 
money,  one  fliould  not  have  been  much  furprifed 
at  their  perfifting,  for  a  time  at  leaft,  in  a  preme- 
ditated falfehood.  But  when  we  know  that,  in- 
ftead  of  any  of  thefe  allurements  being  held  out 
to  them,  their  mafter  always  foretold  to  them,  and 
they  themfelves  foon  found  by  experience,  that 
they  could  gain  nothing,  and  muft  lofe  every  thing 
in  this  world,  by  embracing  Chriftlanity ;  it  is  ut- 
terly impoflible  to  account  for  their  embracing  it 
on  any  other  ground  than  their  convi(rtion  of  its 
truth  from  the  miracles  which  they  faw.  In  faiSl, 
muft  they  not  have  been  abfolutely  mad  to  have  in- 
curred voluntarily  fo  much  mifery,  and  fuch  cer- 
tain deftru£lion,  for  affirming  things  to  be  true 
which  they  knew  to  be  falfe  ;  more  efpecially  as 
their  own  religion  taught  them,  that  they  would 
be  punifhcd  moft  feverely  in  another  world,  as 
well  as  in  this,  for  fo  wicked  a  fraud  ?  Is  it  ufual 
for  men  thus  to  fport  with  their  own  happinefs, 
and  their  very  lives,  and  to  bring  upon  them- 
felves, with  their  eyes  open,  fuch  dreadful  evils, 
without  any  reafon  in  the  world,  and  without  the 
Icaft  pofllble  benefit,  advantage,  credit,  or  pleafure 
refulting  from  it  ?  Where  have  you  ever  heard 
of  any  inftance  of  this  fort  ?  Would  any  twelve 
men  you  ever  knew,  efpecially  men  of  credit  and 
chara£ter,  take  it  into  their  heads  to  alTert  that  a 


pciTon  in  the  neighbourhood  raifed  a  dead  man  to 
life,  when  they  knew  that  no  fuch  thing  had  ever 
happened  ;  and  that  they  would  all,  with  one  con- 
fent,  fufFer  themfelves  to  be  put  to  death  rather 
than  confefs  that  they  had  told  a  lie?  Such  a 
thing  never  happened  fince  the  world  began.  It 
is  contrary  to  all  experience  and  all  credibility,  and 
would  be,  in  itfelf,  a  greater  miracle  than  any  of 
thofe  that  are  recorded  in  the  Gofpel. 

It  is  certain  then  (as  certain  as  any  thing  can 
be  that  depends  on  human  teftimony)  that  real 
miracles  were  wrought  by  Chrift  ;  and  as  no  mi- 
racles can  be  wrought  but  by  the  power  of  God, 
it  is  equally  certain  that  Chrift  and  his  religion 
drew  their  origin  from  God.* 


PROPOSITION    XII. 


T 


HE  RESURRECTION  OF  OUR  LORD  FROM 
THE  DEAD,  IS  A  FACT  FULLY  PROVED  BY 
THE  CLEAREST  EVIDENCE,  AND  IS  THE. 
SEAL  AND  CONFIRMATION  OF  HIS  DIVI- 
NITY AND  OF  THE  TRUTH  OF  HIS  RE- 
LIGION. 

THE  refurreclion  of  Chrift  being  one  of  thofc 
miracles  which  are  recorded  in  the  Gofpel,  the 
truth  of  it  is,  in  fa£l:,  already  proved  by  what  has 
been   advanced   refpedling   thofe   miracles   in   the 

*  On  tlic  dear  and  evident  marks  of  difcrimiuatlon  between  the 
real  miracles  of  the  Gofpel  and  the  pretended  miracles  of  Paganifm 
and  of  Popery,  fee  Bifliop  Douglas's  Criterion,  and  Dr.  Paley's 
moft  mafterly  obfervations,  in  his  View  of  the  Evidences  of  Chrif- 
tianity,  prop.  i.  cli.  ii.  b.  x.  p.  329. 


'1  J 


11 


ii'  ' 


'    Hi 


Ii 


,•■".  ■     i"  's«"" 


s-c^--  Vw^^' 


6t 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


of  the  Chriflian  Revelation* 


63 


preceding  article.  But  it  is  an  event  fo  lingular 
in  its  nature,  and  fo  infinitely  important  in  its 
confequences,  that  it  well  defervcs  to  be  made  the 
fubjeift  of  a  dift:ini5l  Propofition. 

After  our  Saviour's  crucifixion,  Jofeph  of  Ari- 
mathea,  we  are  told,  laid  the  body  in  his  own 
new  tomb,  hewn  out  of  a  rock,  and  rolled  a  great 
(lone  to  the  door  of  the  fepulchre.  In  order  to 
lecure  themfelves  againfl  any  fraud,  the  Jews  de- 
fired  the  Roman  governor,  Pilate,  to  grant  them 
a  band  of  foldiers  to  guard  the  fepulchre,  left,  as 
they  faid,  the  difciples  fhould  come  by  night  and 
ileal  the  corpfe  away.  Pilate's  anfwer  was  in 
thefe  words,  '^  Ye  have  a  watch,  go  your  way, 
make  it  as  fure  as  you  can  :  fo  they  went  and 
made  the  fepulchre  fure,  fealing  the  flone,  and 
fetting  a  watch.*'*  The  Evangelifl  then  proceeds 
to  relate  the  great  event  of  the  refurre^lion  with 
that  ingenuous  and  natural  fimplicity  which  cha- 
rt(Slerizes  the  facrcd  hiftorians,  and  which  carries 
upon  the  face  of  it  every  mark  of  fincerity  and 
truth. 

"  In  the  end  of  the  Sabbath,  as  it  began  to 
dawn  towards  the  firfl  day  of  the  week,  came 
Mary  Magdalen,  and  tlie  other  Mary,  to  fee  the 
fepulchre.  And  behold  there  was  a  great  earth- 
quake ;  for  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  defcended  from 
heaven,  and  rolled  back  the  ftonc  from  the  door, 
and  fate  upon  it.  His  countenance  was  like  light* 
ning,  and  his  raiment  white  as  fnow.  And  for 
fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  fhake,  and  became  as 
dead  men.  And  the  Anrel  of  the  Lord  anfwercd, 
and  faid  unto  the  women.  Fear  not  ye  ;  for  I  know 

•  Matth.  XTvil  6 J,  66. 


that  ye  feek  Jefus  that  was  crucified.  He  is  not 
here,  for  he  is  rifen  from  the  dead ;  and  behold 
he  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee,  there  ye  fhall 
fee  him.  Lo  !  I  have  told  you.  And  as  they 
went  to  tell  his  difciples,  behold,  Jefus  met  them, 
faying,  All  hail  *,  and  they  came  and  held  him  by 
the  feet,  and  worfhipped  him.  Then  faid  Jefus 
unto  them,  Be  not  afraid  j  go  tell  my  brethren, 
that  they  go  into  Galilee,  and  there  they  Ihall  fee 
me.  Now,  when  they  were  going,  behold  fome 
of  the  watch  came  into  the  city,  and  fhewed  unto 
the  chief  priefts  all  that  was  done.  And  when 
they  were  afTembled  with  the  elders,  and  had  ta- 
ken counfcl,  they  gave  large  money  unto  the  fol- 
diers, faying,  Say  ye,  his  difciples  came  by  night, 
and  ftole  him  away  while  we  flept ;  and  if  this 
come  to  the  governor's  ear,  we  will  pcrfuade  him 
and  fccurc  you.  So  they  took  the  money,  and 
did  as  they  were  taught ;  and  this  faying  is  com- 
monly reported  among  the  Jews  unto  this  day."* 

Such  is  the  relation  of  this  wonderful  hdi  given 
by  St.  Matthew,  which  comprehends  not  only  his 
own  account  of  it,  but  that  alfo  which  was  circu- 
lated in  oppofition  to  it  by  the  chief  priefts  and 
rulers  of  the  Jews.  Here  then  we  have  fairly  be- 
fore us  the  two  different  rcprefentations  of  this 
event  by  the  friends  and  by  the  enemies  of  Chrift; 
of  which  the  former  affcrts  that  it  was  a  real  re- 
furredtion,  the  other  that  it  was  a  fraud  i  and  be- 
tween thefe  two  we  muft  form  our  opinions,  for 
no  third  ftory  has  been  fet  up,  that  we  know  x)f, 
by  any  one. 

One  thing  is  agreed  on  by  both  fides,  tIz.  that 

*  Matth.  xxviii.  i— ^6» 
F  2 


'^1 


?■-*"•«»«  >  '■:  .-vi 


„,  JSiftt'i 


64  0/;  /Z^f*  2V;/r/f  d.'/J  Divine  Origifp' 

the  body  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  fepulchrev 
It  was  gone  •,  and  the  que  (lion  is,  by  what  means  ? 
The  foldiers  gave  out  that  the  difciples  "  came  hj 
night,  while  they  flept,  and  ftole  it  away."  But 
it  is  not  very  eafy  to  underfland  how  the  foldiers 
could  depofe  to  any  thing  that  paiTed  while  they 
were  faft  aflecp  5  they  could  not  poflibly  tell  ia 
what  manner  the  body  was  ftolen  away,  or  by 
whom.  Nor,  confidering  the  extreme  feverity  of 
the  Roman  military  difcipline,  is  it  credible,  that 
if  they  had  been  afleep,  they  would  have  confefled 
it.  For  it  was  certain  death  to  a  Roman  foldier 
to  be  found  fleeping  upon  guard.  Nothing  could 
have  prevailed  upon  them  to  make  fuch  a  decla- 
ration as  that,  but  a  previous  promife  of  impunity 
and  reward  from  the  Jewifh  rulers  5  a  plain  proof 
that  they  had  been  tampered  with,  and  that  it 
was  a  concerted  ftory. 

In  the  next  place,  fuppoling  the  flory  true,  of 
what  ufe  could  the  dead  body  be  to  the  difciples  ? 
It  could  not  prove  to  them,  or  to  others,  that 
their  marter  was  rifen  from  the  dead  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  muft  have  been  a  (landing  and  a  viiible 
proof  of  the  contrary.  It  muft  convince  them 
that  he,  inilead  of  being  the  deliverer  they  expe(Sl- 
ed,  was  an  impoftor,  and  they  moft  cruelly  de- 
ceived. And  why  they  fliould  choofe  to  keep  in 
their  pofTcilion,  and  to  have  continually  before 
their  eyes  a  lifelefs  corple,  which  completely  blafl- 
ed  all  their  hopes,  and  continually  reminded  them 
of  their  bitter  difappointment,  is  fomewhat  difficult 
to  be  imagined. 

The  tale  then,  told  by  the  foldiers,  is,  upon  the 
very  face  of  it  a  grofs  and  clumfy  forgery.  The 
confequence   is,    that   the  account  given  by  Su 


r 


of  the  Chrijtian-  Revelaiiofu 


6j 


Matthew  is  the  true  one.  For  if  the  body  was 
actually  gone  (an  acknowledged  point  on  all  fides) 
and  if  it  was  not  as  we  have  proved,  ftolen  away 
by  the  difciples,  there  are  but  two  poffible  fuppo- 
iitions  remaining  ;  either  that  it  was  taken  away 
by  the  Jews  and  Romans,  or  that  it  was  raifed  to 
life  again  by  the  power  of  God.  If  the  former 
had  been  the  cafe,  it-  could  only  have  been  for  the 
purpofe  of  confronting  and  convicling  the  difci- 
ples of  falfehood  and  fraud  by  the  produ(flion  of 
the  dead  body.  But  the  dead  body  was  fiot  pro- 
duced. It  was,  therefore,  as  the  Gofpel  affirms, 
raifed  from  the  grave,  and  reftored  to  life.  There 
is  no  other  conceivable  alternative  left. 

And  that  this  was  actually  the  cafe,  is  proved* 
by  our  Lord's  appearing,  after  his  refurreclion,  not 
only  to  the  two  women  who  came  firft  to  the  fe- 
pulchrc,  but  to  the  two  difciples  going  to  Emmaus, 
and  to  the  difciples  aflembled  together  at  two  dif-- 
ferent  times,  and  to  all  the  apoftles,  and  to  above 
500  brethren,  at  once.  And  he  not  only  appeared 
to  them  filently,  but  he  talked  and  ate  with  them  ; 
he  fhowed  them  his  hands  and  his  feet ;  he  made 
them  handle  him  ;  he  held  feveral  long  converfa-- 
tions  with  them  ;  and,  at  laft,  afcended  up  into^ 
heaven  in  their  fight. 

Thefe  were  things  of  which  the  plalneil:  and' 
mod  ignorant  men  could  judge.  It  was  impoffible 
for  them  to  be  deceived  in  an  objetSl:  with  v/hich 
i-hey  were  well  acquainted,  and  which  prcfented 
itfclf  to  all  their  fenfes. 

But  there  is  another  moft  decifive  proof,  arifing 
from  their  own  condu£l:,  that  they  were  perfetftly 
convinced  of  the  reality  of  our  Lord's  refurreaion. 
It  appears  that  the  apoftles  were  far  from  being. 

f  3 


!  1% 


66 


On  the  'Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


»f  the  ChriJUhn  Revelation* 


tf7 


men  of  natural  courage  and  firmncfs  of  mind^ 
"When  our  Lord  was  apprehended,  all  his  difciplcs^ 
we  are  told,  forfook  him,  and  tied.  Peter  follow- 
ed him  afar  off,  and  went  into  a  hall  in  the  palace 
of  the  high  priefts,  where  the  fervants  warmed 
themfelves,  and  being  there  charged  with  being  a 
difciple  of  Jefus,  he  peremptorily  denied  it  three 
times  with  vehemence  and  with  oaths.  It  does 
not  appear  that  any  of  his  difciples  attended  in  the 
judgment-hall  to  ailift  or  to  fupport  him  v  and 
when  he  was  crucifi^id,  the  only  perfons  that  ven- 
tured to  ftand  near  his  crofs,  were  his  mother^ 
and  two  or  three  other  women,  and  St.  John. 
They  all,  in  fliort,  appeared  difmayed  and  terrified 
with  the  fate  of  their  mailer,  afraid  to  acknow- 
ledge the  flighted  connexion  with  him,  and  utterly 
unable  to  face  the  dangers  that  feemed  to  menace 
them.  But,  immediately  after  the  refurredlion  of 
their  Lord,  a  moft  aftonifhing  change  took  place 
in  their  condudl.  From  being  the  moft  timid  of 
men,  they  fuddenly  became  courageous,  undaunted, 
and  intrepid  \  i\^y  boldly  preached  that  very  Jefus 
whom  but  a  fhort  time  before  they  had  deferted  in 
his  greatcft  diftrefs  ;  and  although  his  crucifixion 
was  frelh  before  their  eyes,  and  they  had  reafon  to 
expetSl  the  fame  or  a  ilmilar  fate,  yet  they  perfifted 
in  avowing  themfelves  his  difciples,  and  told  the 
Jews  publickly,  "  that  God  had  made  that  fame 
Jefus  whom  they  had  crucilied  both  Lord  and 
Chrlft,"*  and  when  they  were  brought  before  the 
rulers  and  elders  to  be  examined  refpefting  the 
lame  man  whom  they  had  cured  at  the  gate  of  the 
temple,  **  Be  it  known  unto  you  all,  (faid  they) 

*  Ads,  fi.  36. 


fcnd  to  all  the  people  of  Ifrael,  that,  by  the  name 
of  Jefus  Clorift  of  Nazareth,  whom  yc  crucified, 
and  whom  God  raifed  from  th«  dead,  even  by  him 
does  this  man  ftand  here  before  you  all.  This  is 
the  ftone  that  was  fet  at  nought  of  you  builders, 
which  is  become  the  head  ftone  of  the  corner ; 
neither  is  there  falvation  in  any  other  5  for  there 
is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given  amon<» 
men,  whereby  we  muft  be  faved."f 

And  when  a  fecond  time  they  were  brought  be- 
fore  the  council,  and  forbidden  to  teach  in  the 
name  of  Jefus,  their  anfwer  was,  "  We  ought  to 
obey  God  rather  than  man.  And  when  they  were 
again  reprimanded,  and  threatened,  and  beaten„ 
yet  they  ceafed  not  in  the  temple,  and  in  every 
houfe,  to  teach  and  to  preach  Jefus  Chrift ;  and 
with  great  power  gave  the  apoftles  witncfs  of  the 
refurre<flion  of  the  Lord  Jefus."* 

In  what  manner  now  fhall  we   account  for  this- 
fudden  and  moft  ftngular  change  in  the  difpofition,. 
and  as  it  were  in  the  very  conftitutlon,  of  the  apof- 
tles.     If  Chrift  had  not  rifen  from  the  grave,  and 
his  dead  body  was  in  the  poflefiion  of  his  difciples  j 
was  this  calculated   to  infpire  them  with  affe(Slion 
for  their  leader,  and  with  courage  to  preach  a  doc- 
trine which  they  knew  to  be  falfe  ?    Would  it  not, 
on  the  contrary,  have  incrcafed  their  natural  timi- 
dity^ deprcfted  their  fpirits,   extinguiflied  all  their 
zeal,  and  filled  them  with  indignation  and  horror 
againft  a  man  who  had  fo  grofsly  deceived   them, 
and  robbed  them,  under  falfe  pretences,  of  every 

f  A<51s,  iv.  10,  II,  12. 
*  A«5ls,  V.  29,  4Z. 
iv.  53. 


i 


\»j^i.B:\-in^... 


6i 


Oft  the  Truth  and  D'tvitif  Origin 


thing  that  was  dear  and  valuable  to  them  in  the 
world  ?  Moft  unqueftionably  it  would.  Nor  is  it 
poflible  to  account,  in  any  rational  way,  for  the 
ftrange  revolution  which  took  place  in  their  mindsj 
fo  foon  after  their  mafter's  death,  but  by  admit- 
ting that  they  were  fully  perfuaded  and  fatisfied 
that  he  rofe  alive  from  the  grave. 

It  may  be  faid,  perhaps,  that  this  perfuafion  was- 
the  effect,  not  of  irrefiftible  evidence,  but  of  en- 
thuflafm,  which  made  them  fancy  that  fome  vifion- 
ary  phantom,  created  folely  by  their  own  heated 
imagination,  was  the  real  body  of  their  Lord  re- 
flored  to  life.  But  nothing  could  be  more  diftant 
from  enthufiafm  than  the  character  and  condudl  of 
thefe  men,  and  the  courage  they  manifefted,  which 
was  perfe(^ly  calm,  fobcr,  colledled,  and  cool.  But 
what  completely  repels  this  fufpicion  is,  that  their 
bittercft  adverfaries  never  once  accufed  them  of 
enthufiafm,  but  charged  them  with  a  crime  which 
was  utterly  inconfiftent  with  it,  fraud  and  theft  \- 
with  ftcaling  away  the  body  from  the  grave.  And: 
if  they  did  this,  if  that  dead  body  was  a<Slually  be- 
fore their  eyes,  how  was  it  poflible  for  any  degree 
of  enthufiafm  fhort  of  madnefs  (which  was  never 
alleged  againft  them)  to  mifl:ake  a  dead  body  for  a- 
living  man,  whom  they  faw,  and  touched,  and  con- 
Terfcd  with  ?  No  fuch  inftance  of  enthufiafm  ever: 
occurred  in  the  world. 

The  refurre£lion  of  our  Lord  being  thus  ef- 
tabliflied  on  the  firmeft  grounds,  it  affords  an  un- 
anfwerable  proof  of  the  truth  of  our  Saviour's  pre- 
tenfions,  and,  confequently,  of  the  truth  of  his 
religion  :  for  had  he  not  been  what  he  affumed  to 
be,  the  Son  of  God,  it  is  impofiible  that  Gcd 
fhculd  have  raifcd  him  from  the  dead;  and  there- 


of  the  ChriJIian  Revelation. 


6^ 


by  given  his  fandlion  to  an  Jmpofi:ure.  But  as  he 
did  adually  refl:ore  him  to  life,  he  thereby  fet  his 
feal  to  the  divinity  which  he  claimed,  and  acknow- 
ledged him,  in  the  moft  publick  and  authoritative 
manner,  to  be  "  his  beloved  fon,  in  whom  he  was 
well  pleafed."f 

And  this  evidence  of  our  Lord's  divine  miffion 
is  of  the  more  importance,  becaufe  our  Saviour 
himfelf  appealed  to  it  as  the  grand  proof  of  his 
being  fent  from  heaven  to  inftruiH:  and  to  redeem 
mankind.  For  when  he  caft  the  buyers  and  fellers 
out  of  the  temple,  and  the  Jews  required  of  him 
a  fign,  that  is,  a  miraculous  proof,  that  he  had  the 
authority  of  God  for  doing  thofe  things,  his  an- 
fwp  was,  "  Deftroy  this  temple,  (meaning  his 
body)  and  in  three  days  I  will  raife  it  up.  When, 
therefore,  he  was  rifen  from  the  dead,  his  difciples 
remembered  that  he  had  faid  this  unto  them  ;  and 
they  believed  the  fcriptures,  and  the  word  which 
Jefus  had  faid;"*  and  they  themfelves  conftantly 
referred  to  the  refurrcclion,  more  than  to  any  othef 
evidence,  as  the  great  foundation  on  which  their 
faith  was  built. 

The  reafon  for  this  perhaps  was,  that  this  great 
event  contained  in  itfelf,  at  once,  the  evidence 
both  of  miracle  and  of  prophecy.  It  was  certainly 
one  of  the  moft  ftupendous  manifeftations  of  divine 
power  that  could  be  prefented  to  the  obfervation 
of  mankind;  and  it  was,  at  the  fame  time,  the 
completion 'of  two  moft  remarkable  prophecies; 
that  of  our  Saviour's  above  mentioned,  and  that 
well-known  one  of  king  David's,  which  St.  Petej 


t  Matt.  m.  17. 
*  John  ii.  i<^.  az, 


> 


70 


On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origin 


cxprefsly  applies  to  the  refurredlion  of  Chrift  : 
**  Thou  wilt  not  leave  my  foul  in  hell,  neither 
wilt  thou  fuffer  thy  holy  one  to  fee  corruption."  f 

f  Pfalm  xvl.  10.  AS.i^  ii.  27.  On  this  fubjed  of  Chrift's  ref«r- 
recftion  I  muft  again  refer  my  young  readers  to  Dr.  Paley,  vol.  ii 
ch.  vs..  p.  209.  and  alfo  to  the  conclufion  of  hi«  work ;  the  force  of 
which  it  fcems  to  me  fcarce  pollible  for  an  unprejudiced  reader  to 
withftand. 


CONCLUSION, 


X  HESE  are  the  principal  proofs  of  the  truth  of 
the  Chriftian  Religion.  Many  others  of  a  very 
fatisfaclory  nature  might  be  added  ;  but  the  quef- 
tion  may  be  fafely  reded  on  thofe  that  have  here 
been  ftated. 

And  when  we  collect  them  all  together  into 
one  point  of  view ;  when  we  confider  the  deplora- 
ble ignorance  and  inconceivable  depravity  of  the 
heathen  world  before  the  birth  of  Chrift,  which 
rendered  a  divine  intcrpofition  cfTcntially  neceflary, 
and  therefore  highly  probable ;  the  appearance  of 
Chrift  upon  earth,  at  the  very  time  when  his  pre- 
fencc  was  moft  wanted,  and  when  there  was  a  ge- 
neral expectation  throughout  the  Eaft,  that  fomc 
great  and  extraordinary  perfonage  was  foon  to 
come  into  the  world  ;  the  tranfcendent  excellence 
of  our  Lord's  chara£ter,  fo  infinitely  beyond  that 
of  every  other  moral  teacher  j  the  calmnefs,  the 
compofure,  the  dignity,  the  integrity,  the  fpotlcfs 


of  the  Chripian  Revelation. 


*ll 


fanaity  of  his  manners,  fo  utterly  inconfiftent  irith 
every  idea  of  enthufiafm  or  impofture  5  the  fubli- 
mity  and  importance  of  his  doOrines ;    the  con- 
fummate  wifdom  and  perfeCl  purity  of  his  moral 
precepts,  far  exceeding  the  natural  powers  of  a 
man  born  in  the  humbleft  fituation,  and  in  a  re- 
mote and  obfcure  corner  of  the  world,  without 
learnmg,  education,  languages,  or  books ;   the  ra- 
pid and  i^ftonifliing  propagation  of  his  religion,  in 
a  very  fhort  fpace  of  time,   through  almoft  every 
region  of  the  Eaft,  by  the  fole  efforts  of  himfelf 
and  a  few  illiterate  fifliermen,  in  direCl  oppofition 
to  all  the  power,   the  authority,  the  learning,  the 
philofophy,  the  reigning  vices,  prejudices,  and  fu- 
perftitions  of  the  world  ;  the  complete  and  marked 
oppofition,   in  every  effential  point,   between  the 
character  and  religion  of  Chrift  and  the  characTler 
and  religion  of  Mahomet,   exadly  fuch  as  might 
be  expedled  between  truth  and  falfchood  ;  the  mi- 
nute  defcription  of  all  the  moft  material  circum- 
ftanccs   of  his   birth,    life,   fufferings,   death,  and 
rciurreaion,  given  by  the  ancient  prophets  many 
hundred  years  before  he  was  born,  and  exaaiy  ful 

the    Meffiah    of  the   Jews    and    the    Rprleemer   of 
mankind  ;    the   various   prophecies   delivered    by 
Chrift  himfelf,  which  were  all  pun^ually  accom- 
phfhed,  more  efpecially  the  deftruftion  of  Jerufalem 
by  the   Romans ;   the  many  aftonifhing  miracle* 
wrought  by  Jefus,  in  the  open  face  of  day,  before 
thoufands   of  fpe^ators,    the   reality  of  which  is 
proved  by  multitudes  of  the  moft  unexceptionable 
witnefles,   who  fealed   their  teftimony  with  their 
blood,  and  was  even  acknowledged  by  the  earheft 
and  moft  inveterate  enemies  of  the  Gofpel ;  and. 


yjt  On  the  Truth  a  fid  Divine  Origift,  ^c, 

laftly,  that  moft  aftonifhing  and  well-authenticated 
miracle  of  our  Lord's  refurredlion,   which  was  the 
feal  and  confirmation  of  his  own   Divine  Origin, 
and  that   of  his   Religion  ;  when  all  thefe  various 
evidences    are  brought   together,   and   impartially 
weighed,   it  feems  hardly  within  the   power  of  a 
fair  and  ingenuous  mind  to  refift  the  imprelTion  of 
their    united   force.       If  fuch   a   combination   of 
evidence  as  this  is  not  fniTirient  to  fatisfy  an  honeft 
enquirer   into  truth,   it    is   utterly  impofllble  that 
any  event,  which  pafled  in  former  times,  and  which 
wc  did  not  fee  with  our  own  eyes,   can   ever  be 
proved  to  have  happened,  by  any  degree  of  tefti- 
mony  whatever.     It  may  fafely  be  affirmed,  that 
fio   inftance  can  be   produced  of  any  one  fa^  or 
event,   faid  to  have  taken  place  in  pad  ages,  and 
eftablifhed  by  fuch  evidence  as  that  on  which  the 
Chriftian  Revelation  refts,  that  afterwards  turned 
<5Ut  to  be  falfe.      We  challenge  the  enemies  of  our 
faith  to  bring  forward,   if  they  can,  any   fuch   in- 
ftance.      If  they  cannot,   (and  we  know  it  to  be 
irapoffible)  we  have  a  right  to  fay,  that  a  religion 
fupported  by  fjch  an  extraordinary  accumulation 
of  evidence,  mufh  be  true  ;  and  that  all  men,  who 
prrlend  to  be  guided  by  argument    and    by  proof, 
are  bound,  by  the  moft  £icred  obligations,  to  re- 
ceive the  religion  of  Chrift  as  a  real  revelation 
from  God. 


FINIS. 


a^ 


i»i^"*«:T'vi.-i 


yt  On  the  Truth  and  Divine  Origift,  b*r. 

laftly,  that  moft  aftonifhing  and  well-authenticated 
miracle  of  our  Lord's  refurrc£tion,   which  was  the 
feal  and  confirmation  of  his  own   Divine  Origin, 
and  that  of  his   Religion  •,  when  all  thefe  various 
evidences    are  brought   together,   and   impartially 
weighed,   it  feems  hardly  within  the   power   of  a 
fair  and  ingenuous  mind  to  refift  the  impreflion  of 
their    united   force.       If  fuch   a   combination   of 
evidence  as  this  is  not  fnffirient  to  fatisfy  an  honefl 
enquirer   into  truth,   it   is   utterly  impoffible  that 
any  event,  which  pafled  in  former  times,  and  which 
we  did  not  fee  with  our  own  eyes,   can   ever  be 
proved  to  have  happened,  by  any  degree  of  tefti- 
monf 'Miatever.     It  may  fafely  be  affirmed,  that 
no   inftancc  can  be   produced  of  any  one  fa^  or 
event,   faid  to  have  taken  place  in  paft  ages,  and 
eftablilhed  by  fuch  evidence  as  that  on  which  the 
Chriftian  Revelation  reds,  that  afterwards  turned 
out  to  be  falfe.      We  challenge  the  enemies  of  our 
faith  to  bring  forward,   if  they  can,  any  fuch  in- 
ftance.      If  they  cannot,   (and  we  know  it  to  be 
impoffible)  we  have  a  right  to  fay,  that  a  religion 
fupported  by  fjch  an  extraordinary  accumulation 
of  evidence,  mud  be  true  -,   and  that  all  men,  who 
prc-tend  to  be  Ruided  by  argument   and   by  proof, 
are  bound,  by  the  moft  f^icred  obligations,  to  re- 
ceive the  religion  of  Chrift  as  a  real  revelation 
from  God. 


> 


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